FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return
by Nitebreaker
Summary: Every ending is a beginning, but a beginning of what ? It's been three years since the incidents in Naota's life. Everybody, it seems like, has left him. How will he cope with what happened. How will he cope with what is about to happen? Will he be ready when the full might of Medical Mechanica returns? Will anyone stand beside him, or will he have to go it alone? Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

FLCL: Three Years Later

Chapter 1: Reminiscences

…

 _Ok, people. This is my second go-round at at "Fooly Cooly" fanfiction, and tends to follow the anime more than the manga, though parts of that will be included. Maybe._

 _I realize that a large part of the attraction of the show was its sheer craziness; I'll include what I can of that when I can, but this will have a bit more of a serious bent to it than the anime. If that turns you off, sorry. How often I'll be able to update remains to be seen._

 _I, of course, down own the FLCL franchise. If I did, it would have ended very differently, and that would possibly have lessened it. So I guess it's good I don't._

…

Chapter 1: Reminiscences

In his room, in his house in Mabase, Naota Nandaba lay on his bunk, plucking away at his guitar. He felt bored beyond belief.

The guitar was a Rickenbacker 4001, a vintage model. He'd acquired it from the space pirate / live in maid / amateur nurse, and Personal Bane of His Existence that had blasted into his life three years ago, Haruko Haruhara. He scowled when he thought of her, a feeling of anger kindling in his soul. Thinking of her always did that to him.

She'd used him. She'd pretended to care about him, and, maybe, on some level, she had, but that didn't change anything. She'd straight-up used him, from the get-go.

She'd somehow sensed that he had the potential to create N. O. portals with his mind, and so, to speed that process along, had slammed her guitar—this very guitar in his hands—into his head, causing giant, hostile robots from a would-be galaxy conquering organization known on Earth as Medical Mechanica to spring out of his head. The only thing that had saved them was that other, more heroically inclined, robots had also appeared, and the battle had become a little less one sided. To call it "crazy" would have been an understatement.

The one robot that had been the most helpful, the one they'd named "Canti," for reasons he couldn't quite figure out, was folded up in the corner. It was useful, cleaning the house, and helping in the kitchen, but it hadn't actually communicated with any of them since the bust-up three years ago. It pretty much did what it was told to do, and a few things besides. It seemed to be self-maintaining, which he found to be very convenient, as he really had no idea how to take care of it anyway. It didn't seem to ever need recharging or oiling or anything like that. It just sat there.

Occasionally, he got the feeling it was looking at him, watching him in some way, but then the feeling would pass. He shrugged. So. Let it look all it wanted to. It had been on their side in the battle, and he guessed he owed it for that.

But right now, he didn't even care about that. Sure, everybody was still talking about it, the robots, the battle, and, it seemed like, more than anything, the pink-haired fruitcake, but all he could see, whenever he thought of Haruko, was the word, _user._ She'd manipulated him, pure and simple, using her sex appeal, her crazy energy, her…her everything, all for personal gain.

She'd said she loved Atomsk, the Pirate King, whose N. O. powers seemed near infinite. But it was fairly obvious that what she really loved was his power.

Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

When he, as Takkun, had somehow acquired that power, she'd totally flipped out, trying to kill him, to get it. That pretty well proved where her love really lay. He had fought back, beating her back, defeating her—only to declare his "love" for her. Now, three years later, he couldn't believe he'd been so naïve.

Before, he had heard other people use the term, "seething," but he'd never really understood it. Now he did, altogether too well.

Another chord. How had he gotten this guitar? He wasn't completely sure. It seemed like he'd found it. There were parts of the last four years that were a kind of blur. Maybe that was for the best.

But the parts that were clearest were the ones he wished were blurred.

Mamimi. She'd left. Just up and left, and he'd heard nothing from her since then. How could she just…go? Haruko he could kinda understand. She was crazy, and an alien, and power-hungry to boot. Good riddance.

But Mamimi…it was like she was his…best friend? Almost girlfriend? Friend-girl? Something? And she just…left. That had really hurt

" _It was only a dream, Naota."_ Yeah, just a dream.

 _But dreams are for those who sleep. I'm awake now. And I'll stay awake forever._

Several times, at dinner, his father had asked him—somewhat guardedly, it seemed to him-if he'd heard anything from her. "No," he'd always reply, evenly. "I haven't. Why?" But there was never really any answer to that, nor did he expect one.

There'd been no letters, no emails, no texts. Nothing. That he couldn't really understand. Not after all they'd…meant to each other. At least, all he thought they'd meant to each other. Obviously, he'd been wrong. About a lot of things.

They'd taken him to counselors, psychologists. They'd wanted him to talk to them about "what happened." He told them he didn't really remember much about it, just bits and pieces. And dreams. Dreams? Oh, he never could really remember the dreams. You know how dreams were. He'd never been able to remember any details when he woke up. Just that they'd been about Mamimi. He figured that would be obvious enough. And, of course, they invariably asked him if he'd had thoughts of harming himself or others. Well, he knew the right answer to that, and the wrong answer to that, and he wasn't about to give them the wrong answer, even if it were true, which it wasn't. So that was a stupid question, but he guessed they had to ask it.

Adults, he was finding out, asked a lot of stupid questions.

He'd long ago grown accustomed to the notion of adults asking a lot of stupid questions.

So they'd nodded, smiling, written down something on their progress notes, checking off some things, and told him he could go, that he was doing fine. He wasn't getting into trouble, at least, not any more trouble than most fifteen year old boys did, and that he "just had to work through some things." His grades weren't affected, he didn't use drugs, and he hadn't killed anybody yet. (Though he'd been tempted. One grinning fool of a boy had had the nerve to ask him how his "wife" had been "you know," _wink, wink._ When he finally understood just what the grinning fool of a boy (with his cohorts chortling in the background) had been asking, said grinning fool of a boy had stopped Naota's fist with his face. His grin didn't look so good with his teeth all over the floor. The others had jumped him, but he'd expected that, and, while he'd taken his share of bruises, they'd gotten more than they'd given. Naota was pretty strong and fast for his size and build. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he'd wondered if maybe absorbing Atomsk's power had had some effect on him. (Nah. Probably not.) So, yeah. Work through some things. Got it.)

Maybe they'd sensed his lie. Maybe that was why they'd "discharged" him: can't work with some lying kid. Can't do anything with somebody who's in denial. If that was gonna be his line, that he didn't remember anything, then so be it.

But the truth was…

He remembered everything. At least, everything about Mamimi. And Haruko, too, but mostly Mamimi.

He remembered when Tatsuku left, how broken up she'd been. He'd tried to comfort her. After all, she'd come pretty close to being his sister-in-law; there was already a relationship there. He'd felt _responsible_.

Plus…

" _Look after her, Naota. She'd gonna need you."_

So when it turned out she'd taken to going missing a lot, he'd gone looking for her and found her under the bridge where, as it turned out, she almost always seemed to be. Shigekuni didn't want her in his house. So he'd sought her out and found her there, crying almost non-stop. How was he supposed to deal with that? And she'd kept on crying. And crying. And crying some more. He was twelve freakkin' years old, he didn't know how to deal with things like that! Hell, did _grown men_ know how to deal with things like that? So, hesitantly, acting purely on instinct, he'd started just putting his arm around her, trying to let her know she wasn't alone, to get her to stop crying. After a while…a long, long while…she'd stopped crying, and just held on to him, sniffling. They hadn't said a word the whole time.

But the look she'd given him when he told her he had to go, to get on home, haunted his dreams that night.

He began checking in on her daily, at the bridge. It seemed like she was always there. He knew she was bullied a lot at school, so he guessed it made a decent alternate playground.

 _(But why didn't she ever go home?)_

Except one day a winter storm moved in and it had been raining, coming down in torrents. And it was cold, a cold rain, mixed with snow and sleet. He'd left for school that day, wearing his heaviest jacket and a poncho, high-traction waterproof boots, carrying an umbrella. He'd learned to wear the poncho since a lot of drivers along the road seemed to live for the thrill of splashing passing schoolkids with cold rainwater. He'd actually seen some cars swerve in order to accomplish this. Assholes.

On the way back, going across the bridge, the rain had slackened up a bit…and he'd heard the sound of sobbing coming from under the bridge.

Oh come on. Surely not. Not in this weather.

He slid down the muddy embankment, turned, and there she was: sitting as far up under the bridge as she could, soaking wet and shivering with cold. The "bridge girl," some others at school had come to call her. Without a word, he came up and sat down beside her. Just sat there, as close by her as he could. She glanced up at him, but kept on crying. Could she be _that_ distraught over Tatsuku's leaving?

Her sobs continued for a few minutes, then she stopped, tapering off and wiping her eyes and nose on her sleeve. She was wearing her usual school uniform, no jacket, no wet-weather wear, no umbrella, and her usual short skirt. Her hair hung in strings down her neck, and her uniform was all muddy. The only way she could have possibly been more wet than she already was, would have been if she were underwater, and he wasn't too sure of that. After a moment, he took off his poncho, then his coat. "Here," he'd said, handing her the dry jacket and wet poncho. "Put this on," indicating the poncho, "and take off those wet clothes." Then handed her the coat, "and put this on. I won't look. No," he'd said, seeing the refusal in her expression," don't even think it. Just…just do it, okay? I'm not putting it back on, so one of us should get some good out of it. And it's dry." And he'd resolutely turned his head while she changed. She'd changed while he had his head turned the other way, but he got the distinct impression she didn't care, that she had bigger worries. "Th-thank you, Naota." Her voice had sounded so subdued; he longed to ask her what was so wrong at home that she preferred to spend a rainy, cold afternoon—hell, for all he knew, it might have been more than one day-she certainly wasn't dressed for this weather, and he caught a faint whiff of an unwashed body—underneath a bridge, when she could be in a warm house, with television and indoor heat. But something, that same something as before, told him he didn't really want to know.

They just sat there for a long time, not speaking. He was beginning to get cold himself, but he'd thought to wear a warm-up suit underneath his clothes, so it wasn't so bad. _"I have to go,"_ his brother had said, looking around to make sure Shigekuni wasn't around. _"But promise me you'll take care of her, Naota. She'll need you. She'll need you a lot."_

" _I promise, Tatsuku-kun."_

 _Tatsuku had hesitated, as though feeling maybe he shouldn't say any more. But then he'd come to an obvious decision, and drew Naota aside, into their room. "Look, Naota. I'm going to have to go away soon, to the states. And…Mamimi is going to need someone to look after her. I know you're young an' all, but you're pretty mature for your age, and you're going to have to be like a brother to her. You're going to have to, to, take care of her. There's a lot going on with her at home, things I can't tell you about, that are…pretty bad. So…I'm gonna have to depend on you to take care of her for me, while I'm gone."_

" _But…but what's going on with her, at home? Can't you at least tell me some of that?"_

 _But his brother had only shaken his head. "I can't, Naota. It's just bad. It's part of the reason why she gets picked on so much at school. You know how some people feel about…people who aren't…" He'd looked down the hallway, to make sure Shigekuni wasn't within earshot, "y'know, who are…different. That's stupid, but… Well, some people carry that to…extremes._ _Extreme_ _extremes. Even in their own families. Sometimes_ _especially_ _in their own families." He wouldn't look Naota in the eyes. "Anyway, that's all I can say about that. So…help her for me, will you?_ _Be_ _there for her. In whatever way you can. You're a big enough boy you can do that, now. And, and….don't tell anyone anything about this, what we talked about. Or about…anything…you may find out. Okay?"_

" _And here." And he'd pricked his thumb with and old pocketknife he'd had, then pricked Naota's thumb with the same blade. Rubbed the two thumbs together, mingling their blood together. "Now, whenever you need me, call me. I'll be there. Don't ask me how. I just will."_

" _I will, Tatsuku-kun." He didn't understand that last part, but he idolized his big brother. He'd never lied to him. If Tatsuku said he'd be there, he'd be there. If he had to flap his arms and fly across the ocean, he'd be there._

Under the bridge: For a long time, neither of them said anything. He wanted so badly to ask her what was so wrong at her house that she chose to spend this rainy, cold afternoon under a bridge, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, assuming she'd tell him, anyway. He'd come to the reluctant conclusion it didn't have anything to do with money, or the lack of it. She sniffled again, wiping her nose on her sleeve, still shivering. "You…you shouldn't be seen with me, Naota-kun. I, I'm a bad person. You should keep away from me. Your grandfather is right, about me."

He reached over and took her hand. Just held her hand; nothing special. Then he put his arm around her, like he had so many times before, and drew her onto his shoulder. She was taller than he was, but he sat up higher on the embankment, his hand around her head, holding her close. "You're not a bad person, Mamimi. People haven't been very nice to you, but that's their problem. I think you're a very nice person. As far as I'm concerned, you're practically family, no matter what grandfather says. And no matter what, you're my best friend." She cried a little more after he said that, and he was afraid he'd said the wrong thing, but then she'd hiccupped into silence, and smiled at him. Then she lay with her head on his shoulder, sighing as though in relief. Then he happened to glance over down her back and saw the bruises.

He felt his blood beginning to boil. Mamimi was a girl. There was no excuse for anybody beating on any girl like that. "Mamimi? What are these marks? Who hit you like this?"

She immediately pulled away—but nothing could pull away the memory of what he'd seen from his mind. "N—no one!" Pulling her soaking jacket more tightly around her. "I, I fell. Yes, I fell. I'm just...clumsy, is all.

 _Okay, a fall might produce a bruise or two. But those look like the marks of a rod or stick or something. How can a fall produce that?_

 _Mamimi, who is doing this to you? And why?_

Once she got herself under control, he said, "Mamimi. Come with me."

"What? Where…where are we going, Takkun?" _Takkun?_

"Home."

"I…I can't! Your grandfather…!"

"He went out of town to get supplies for the bakery. He'll be gone for the weekend. And father's in the kitchen about now. He'll be easy to sneak past. I've done it lots. So come on."

"No, Takkun, it's alright, I'm fine, I just…" There she went again, calling him "Takkun," the name she called his brother. Why?

"You're soaking wet, you're cold, you're shivering under a bridge in horrible weather. And you don't even have any pants on. You're not fine. You'll catch your death of cold out here. You could even die of hypothermia or something. And I'm supposed to just go on my merry way and let that happen? Get real. Now come on. Come on." And he led her back to his house.

True to his word, Shigekuni was out, and Kamon was busy in the bakery. It was no great trick to just lead her around the back way upstairs to his room. "Uh, Takkun?" She looked around, fearfully, as though expecting his grandfather to suddenly leap out from behind the chest of drawers or something and call her a bad word, order her out of the house. Gods knew he already had, plenty of times, blaming her for Tatsuku's leaving. "But…but won't your father…I mean, won't he know I'm here?"

"No, he won't. I often play my music pretty loud in here, and he hates it." He smiled a mischievous smile. "That's one reason why I play it so loud. Well, mostly. And there's a loose board just down the hallway, squeaks something terrible. Nobody's ever cared to fix it. I've learned to listen for it."

"But why?" Then a look of understanding crossed her face. After all, he _was_ a boy. "OH! I see!" She giggled. He found he liked hearing her giggle. It was a lot better than hearing her cry.

She'd been crying way too much lately, in his opinion.

"Anyway," he said, fighting down the blush, "You're staying here tonight. You'll have to keep quiet, of course, and you can't smoke. Father or grandfather would smell it for sure. Here." He gave her one of his brother's old baseball jerseys, shoved her towards the bathroom. "You can get cleaned up in there. I'll wash and dry your clothes. Go on." He pushed her towards the half-bath.

Presently she emerged, wearing the jersey. She'd rolled the sleeves up so it didn't come down and cover her hands. It was only a shirt, so it didn't come down very far on her, and, even at twelve, he found he could appreciate a nice pair of legs, and Mamimi did indeed have a nice pair of legs. But he deliberately drew his attention elsewhere. That wasn't what she was here for. She was Tatsuku's girlfriend; it was his job to look after her until his brother got back. "How do I look?"

That was a curious question. Why would she ask that? It was just a shirt. But he guessed girls tended to ask things like that. "You look great. That shirt fits you perfectly." Actually, it was a bit too large, but better too large than too small. She didn't look too convinced, glancing down at herself critically. "Actually, it, uhm, you look kinda cute wearing that." Didn't girls like it when you said things like that? "Here," he motioned to the bottom bunk. "You'll sleep here, tonight. I'll sleep on the top one." The top bunk had been Tatsuku's, and _no_ body slept there, but, he figured, for once, this time, he could. No harm done. Just this once. Long as it was just him, and nobody else. Plus, he was honest enough with himself to admit, he was a little nervous about watching Mamimi, who was wearing nothing but that shirt, climb the ladder to the top bunk. There would have been way too much temptation to watch… "Now here." He handed her a towel. "Wrap this around your waist, pull up the top part of the shirt, and lie face down on the bunk. I won't look while you do. But I need to rub this ointment into your skin, onto those bruises."

"Takkun, I-*"

"They're painful, aren't they?" She nodded. He got the impression the pain was more than physical. "Then humor me, okay? Here, I'll get some bandages." He rummaged around in Tatsuku's old locker. "Now…" He said, his back turned towards the medicine drawer. "Just lie down on the bunk, face down, and I'll rub it in. This is what I used to do for Tatsuku when he got a really fast ball in the wrong place. I don't know if it'll work on these, but it ought to."

He stayed turned around and waited for her to tell him it was safe. "Okay," she said. And he turned back.

And had to stifle a gasp of horror. Mamimi's back was a mass of bruises, both old and fresh. _Oh, 'mimi, what awful person did this to you?_ But he suspected he already knew the answer. "I'm sorry," she said.

"'Mimi, you're apologizing way too much. Quit doing that. You haven't done anything to be sorry for." He opened the jar of ointment. He didn't know if it would work, but it was all he had-applied some alcohol disinfectant-he didn't think it was necessary, but it couldn't hurt—then lavished on the ointment. It was supposed to work for any sort of bruise or non-open wound, and these were the kings and queens of bruises. "There," he said, "now for the bandages. They'll keep the ointment in place and keep you from rubbing these and making them any worse than they are." He noticed she was crying again, silently. "Mamimi, what's wrong? Did I hurt you, some way?"

"N-no, Takkun. You didn't hurt me. I'm just…never mind me. I'm sorry for being so much trouble."

"There you go apologizing again. You're my friend. What else are friends for?"

She was silent for a while. Then, "Thank you, Takkun."

He'd really have to ask her why she kept doing that. But not now.

He got the bandages and wrapped her up, doing his best not to touch her where he shouldn't. Oddly enough, she didn't act like she seemed to care about where he touched her. _She must be in too much pain_. Finally, sitting beside her on the lower bunk, he broached the subject that had been pestering him for so long. "Mamimi, what-*"

But she held up a hand. "Please, Takkun, don't, don't ask me that, okay? I mean, just don't. I, I can't tell you some things. This, this is one of them. So just don't ask, okay?" There was a pause. "If you want me to go, I will."

"I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. Tonight, at least. And grandfather will be gone tomorrow, too, so you can stay tomorrow as well. That'll give me the chance to rub some more of that ointment on your back, see how it's doing."  
He thought of something. "Your parents won't miss you, will they? I mean, maybe you should call them…."

"No," she said vehemently, "they won't miss me. They _certainly_ won't miss me." She snorted. "I promise you, they _definitely_ won't miss me."

That only confirmed his suspicions.

Later on that night, he was up in the upper bunk texting his brother. It should be daytime there. _{{Hey, bro.}}_

 _{{'Sup, little bro?}}_

 _{{What's going on with Mamimi?}}_

There was a pause. Then, _{{What do you mean?}}_

 _{{I mean she's crying all the time, she stays away from home all she can, and her back's a mess. I put some of that ointment you had on it…}}_

 _{{It won't help much, but it'll be better than nothing. Did you ask her how she got them?}}_

 _{{She said she fell}}_

 _{{Yeah. She 'fell' alright. That's about all you'll get out of her.}}_

 _{{But what happened?}}_

 _{{Naota…she's half-Korean. You know how some people feel about 'hafus'}}_

Indeed he did know. He glanced down at the sleeping girl. But beating her was no excuse. _{{Where is she now?}}_

 _{{In my room in my bed, asleep. Sorry, but I'm in your bunk.}}_

 _{{Waytago, little bro. Take care of her for me, will you? And, one last word of advice: respect her. And, yes, love her. 'Cause you and I might be the only ones who do._

 _{{Love ya, little bro.}}_

 _{{Love you, too, big bro.}}_

"Takkun?" Mamimi woke up gradually, looking very sleepy. He thought she looked cute like that, with her hair in disarray, and sleep evident on her face.

"Yes, Mamimi?

"Who were you talking to?"

 _Quick, a lie._ "Grandfather. He's staying over an extra day." Which was true. Shigekuni's "supply runs" frequently took him by some of the better casinos in Tokyo. And it didn't hurt that said casinos frequently also were combined with some excellent brothels. He'd occasionally overheard his grandfather talk about some of the goddesses there….and what they'd do for a man. Naota had just shrugged. Adults were so stupid. But hey, he guessed his grandfather was old, not dead. "So you can stay an extra day."

She sat up, kneeling on the bunk. "I, I hate to be such a bother."

"You're so not a bother! Quit saying that."

"Then, Takkun…would you do me a favor?"

"Sure, I guess. What kind of favor?"

"It's a big one."

"Tell me."

"Would…would you sleep with me? Down here, I mean? In this bunk? Just…sleep down here, with me?"

What? "Why, 'mimi?"

"Cause I'm…scared."

Scared? Of what? But…okay. "Sure." The bunk was barely large enough for one person, let alone two. "I'll sleep on one side, and you sleep on the other. No problem." And she made room for him.

It felt very strange, sharing a bed with a girl. Especially Mamimi. But if that was what she needed…but what did she have to be scared of?

He got in beside her, hitching over as far as he could, to give her the room she needed, turning his back to her. "Now go to sleep. I'll be right here—"he was on the outside—"and if you need to get up in the night, just let me know. Or climb over me, one of the two."

"Okay, Takkun. I will." Abruptly, she reached over and kissed him on the cheek, just a quick peck. "Thank you, Takkun, for taking such good care of me."

He didn't really know what to say to that. "You're welcome" sounded like such a stock answer.

It had been a long day, not just physically, but emotionally, as well. He hadn't realized just how _needy_ she was, or how emotionally _exhausting_ it could be. But whatever the case, he'd made a promise, and, anyway, if Mamimi needed him, he'd do whatever it took. So he turned over away from her, and promptly fell asleep.

He was awakened during the night by her shifting in her sleep, arms and legs moving spasmodically, as though she were trying to run. _"No, no!"_ she was saying, _"I haven't done anything! Please!"_

Nightmares? Maybe this was what she was scared of. "Mamimi, wake up. It's all right, it-*" But she suddenly came bolt upright, looking around with a wild expression that frightened him a little. She looked like an animal caught in a trap. "Mamimi, it's alright, you're okay, you're safe."

Abruptly, she started to cry again. Didn't the girl _ever_ run out of tears? But he was beginning to see what Tatsuku meant about her needing someone.

He pulled her back down in the bed, and she suddenly turned towards him, clutching him, as though he were a life-raft in a storm at sea. Which, he guessed, he kinda was.

He just held her, making soothing sounds, trying not to touch the bruised area on her back, even though he knew he couldn't possibly hurt her any worse than she already had been.

The present: Naota had spent another hour in detention, again for fighting. The school counselors said something about "anger issues" resulting from "childhood trauma," but they hadn't really done anything besides recommend some "good" inpatient treatment facilities." And medication. Seemed they loved to recommend medication. He wouldn't have taken it on a bet. No way he was gonna mess his head up _worse._

Boys were so stupid. He'd heard the remarks that they thought he hadn't overheard, and, once again, was a simmering mass of anger. Well, maybe he did have "anger issues"—with stupid people. Why were all these dumb boys so obsessed with his supposed sex life?

Probably because they didn't have one of their own, he answered himself.

Not that he _did_. But what Naota didn't realize was that he was something of a legend there at the school. None of the other kids saw what had happened to him as "molestation." They saw him as the boy who, in their words, "got some," and at twelve, to boot. He rolled his eyes every time he heard that. He hadn't "gotten" what they all thought he had, but of course, there was no point in denying it.

And the girls were even worse. Some of them actually acted like they were afraid of him, like he was gonna turn into a Mr. Hyde or something and, and…he didn't really know what they thought he'd do. Rape them? Hah! No! Freakkin'! Way! Girls were stupid, too.

The one thing that wasn't stupid was his guitar. He guessed he'd earned it. It was his by right of conquest, or something. And it was a good guitar. He was sure any ordinary guitar, Rickenbacker or not, would never have stood up to the usage he'd seen Haruko put it to, not just slamming it into his head, but into practically everything he could think of, robots' metal bodies included. And it had never needed a tuning. Which was good, because he had no idea how to tune one.

And his father and grandfather, at home, weren't much better. Several times his grandfather, a worshipper of the bat and ball club, had asked him if he'd try out for the team. His automatic response of "hell, no," didn't sound very polite, so he transmogrified it into "no, thanks." That was usually the end of that. Baseball? No way. Baseball had taken his brother away.

Not that he blamed his brother. Mabase was a dump, and he wasn't long for it anyway. He planned on studying hard, keeping his grades up, and getting into a good college somewhere. Preferably somewhere far away, Tokyo, maybe. He'd heard Tokyo was the greatest city on Earth, and he believed it. After all, how cool would it be to live in the city that got routinely attacked by Godzilla? (Well, of course, it didn't, but he could dream, couldn't he?)

…..

"Commander? Sir? I think you should see this." The watch officer indicated his radar screen. "See? That blip wasn't there a few minutes ago." The blip in question was on a course for Earth.

"What area is this covering?"

"Deep space. Around Earth's moon. But that's on the wrong trajectory to be any asteroid we know of."

"What's its vector?"

"Looks like it's heading for Japan, sir. But no worries; at that velocity, it'll burn up in the atmosphere."

…..

 _To be continued…._


	2. Chapter 2: The Boy with Issues

FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return: Chapter 2: The Boy with Issues

Chapter 2: The Boy with Issues

….

 _I don't own any part of the Furi Curi / FLCL / Fooly Cooly, or whateverthehell you wanna call it, franchise. As I've said before, if I did, it would have ended differently._

 _Or perhaps not ended at all….._

… _._

Chapter 2: The Boy with Issues

Another day of detention. Okay, he guessed he deserved it. He _could_ have let that stupid boy say what he did about 'Mimi, and done nothing, but…

Well, he guessed he just wasn't built like that.

Boys were so stupid.

Girls were stupid, too.

The only that really mattered was his music. The music took him away, to a better world. He couldn't wait to get home and practice.

"Naota?" The voice sounded achingly familiar…

He turned and there, standing right in front of him, was someone he'd thought he'd never ever see again: Eri Ninamori herself. The last he'd heard, she'd moved away with her family following her father's…political difficulties. "Ninamori? That you?"

She smiled slightly. "Yeah. Or a reasonably good facsimile, one of the two."

 _Don't joke like that,_ he thought, _it might be true._ But of course… "What happened? Where've you been all this time?"

She shrugged, adjusting her backpack (a tasteful sky blue and white, he noticed; no one could ever accuse Eri Ninamori of being unfashionable). "I…we moved away. I went to an exclusive boarding school. I've been there for the past two years."

"Oh. That sounds…well, actually it sounds perfectly dreadful."

She surprised him by laughing. "Well, it wasn't quite as bad as that. But, yeah, it was pretty strict. Much more so than regular schools." She sobered, her gaze focused on the ground. "But I guess I…needed it."

He didn't know what to say. He'd had such a crush on her, and she'd blossomed from a lovely sixth-grader to a spectacular high school student. He didn't feel right, somehow, talking to her. He was a menace, a bad kid. Everybody said so. But _she_ was talking to _him_ ; she'd initiated the conversation. So it would be rude to just leave without talking. "Well, uhm, how, how've you been?"

"I've been good," she said. He could tell it was a stock answer. "It's been…an educational experience, I guess you'd say." There seemed to be something a little off in the way she spoke. "So," she said, "How've you've been?" She glanced at him; the boy she'd known had not only grown, but he'd filled out quite a bit. Not only was he taller than she was, he'd also developed some interesting muscles…

"Okay, I guess."

"I hear you're a regular in detention."

So Miss Nosy knew about that. "It is what it is. Guess I'm just a bad kid." And she could hear the anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Naota. I didn't mean to upset you."

 _Then why did you bring it up?_ But he already knew the answer to that. She'd brought it up because she was Eri Ninamori, and that's the kind of thing she did. "Yeah, well. It's…okay." _It's not okay, but it's okay. If you know what I mean._

"Naota? Would you…walk me home?"

"What? Why?"

"I just want you to, that's all. Can't I do that?"

He turned more fully towards her, adjusting his backpack, shaking his head. "You don't need to be seen with me, Ninamori. I'm a troublemaker. I get into fights. And they tell me I have….issues. You know what I mean."

"I know. I was there. Maybe I was part of those 'issues.' And I'd still like you to walk me home. So come on. Walk me home. Please?"

He found he couldn't refuse her.

On the way: "So," she said, "What's been going on with you in the past three years?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. Mostly practicing my guitar. Grandfather wants me to try out for the team. I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"I just don't want to, is all."

"Have you heard from your brother?"

"Yeah. He married his American girlfriend. I'm an uncle. My niece is two years old and blond as the sun. Really cute. Not that I'll ever see her, of course. In person, I mean."

"Why do you say that? I mean, your brother could come back, I mean, for a visit…" He could tell she was trying to mollify him. Was his anger _that_ visible?

"Doubtful." He did his best to sound nonchalant. In truth, it was a dream of his, either that his brother would return, or that he could go to him, there in America, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. "He has his own life now, you know. I understand he and his wife are starting a line of sports clothes." After all, can't play baseball forever.

She absorbed this a moment. Then she asked the one thing he was most afraid she'd ask, but that he knew she'd ask, sooner or later: "Have you heard from Mamimi? Or…Haruko?"

"No," he said, shortly. "Not a peep." The very mention of Haruko's name once again brought his internal temperature to the boiling point. It took all his hard-learned self-control not to let it get out, to be evident.

"Oh. I see." Her tone indicated she didn't see at all.

They came to the bridge. He started to go around, when she said, "Naota? This is the shortest way."

"I know," he said, again shortly. "But I always go around."

"Why?"

"I just do, that's all."

"Are you afraid?"

"No."

"Then why do you go around? It's not like there's any trolls underneath it. And it _is_ the shortest way." She paused for a moment, a penetrating expression on her face, in her eyes. "Are you _sure_ you're not afraid?"

Okay, nobody, not even _her,_ called him a coward. It took all his willpower, but he turned towards the bridge. "Okay, I'm guessing you don't want to go over it, right?" _Step right this way, Mr. Nandaba, the doctor will see you now._ "Then come on." And he took her by her hand, and led her to the one place in all the universe he feared the most.

…

Underneath the bridge: they stopped and Ninamori looked around. It didn't seem to be anything unusual, but then, she hadn't…it hadn't happened to her. None of it. What if it—or something similar-had? How would she feel? Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to insist on this, but… She reached over and took Naota's hand. He was just standing there, not even really looking at anything, the expression on his face completely blank. It might've been her imagination, but his hand seemed as cold and distant as if it belonged in some other galaxy. "See, Naota? There's nothing here to be afraid of."

He sat down, burying his face in his hands, as though he didn't want to see his surroundings. "Ninamori, you don't know _anything_. You've no clue why I've avoided this place all these years."

She sat beside him. "Then tell me," she said gently.

"I _was_ afraid to come here. But not for the reasons you think. You thought I was afraid _she'd_ be here. But that's not it.

"I'm afraid…I _was_ afraid….that she _wouldn't_ be here." He looked up, unwilling tears coursing down his face. Boys shouldn't cry. Ever. "And she's not. She won't _ever_ be here. Ever again. Coming here just confirmed that.

"An important part of me left me here, Ninamori, and it's gone forever. I'll never get it back. Ever."

She gave out a small gasp. "Oh, Naota! I, I had no idea! And here I went and practically rubbed your nose in your, your… pain. Your…loss. I, I'm so sorry!"

He sniffled. Funny; he'd never cried when he was seeing the counselors. "I guess you couldn't know. But just for future reference, that's what you get for playing amateur psychotherapist."

"I practically dragged you to the one place where you weren't ready to go. Maybe in time, you would've been, but… But that was wrong of me. Can you forgive me?"

Another sniffle. "Of course, don't worry about it." He was finding it was kinda hard _not_ to forgive a girl who'd once worn his pajamas.

"Do…do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. Strangely, he found it easier to talk to Ninamori than the impersonal school counselors. "Nina, there's things I _can't_ tell you about. Things I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. But I will tell you this: you have no idea what her own family did to her. What they wanted her to do. Her own family, Nina!"

"Yes, I do. I'm not ignorant, Naota. I know about 'hafus,' especially…certain kinds of hafus, and what poor families sometimes force them to do. I'm not _that_ unsophisticated." Her expression turned ugly. "I understand…sort of…how you came to feel about her. Now, at least." She was silent for a moment. Then, "You wanted to save her. Anyone would have. Hell, _I_ would have. And maybe you…loved her, too?"

"I…thought I did. Maybe I did. But obviously she didn't love me." _It was only a dream, Naota._ "So…case closed, I guess."

She leaned over and put her arm around him. "Naota, I don't know what you went through. Make that what you're _going_ through. I can only guess. But," and here she paused for a long moment. Then, "I do want you to know one thing: I care about you.

"That's why I came looking for you."

They were silent for a long time, while he processed that. Why would she do that? "And if, if, you know…." Abruptly she stopped, looking around, a curious expression on her face. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"I thought I heard something." Now that his attention was drawn to it, he could hear a high-pitched wail. It sounded like some animal in distress.

"If you're hearing things, so am I." They both began casting around, trying to locate the source of the sound. Naota found it first. "Nina! Over here!" Over by the very edge of the bridge, just at the edge of the road, in a thicket of bushes by the bridge, was a cat.

"It's hurt," murmured Nina. The small black cat was crying in pain, its back leg obviously broken. "What, what do we do?"

Naota went up to the little creature. Something about it… "I'll take it to the vet," he said, shifting his backpack. "Here, kitty," he said, reaching out to the terrified animal. "I won't hurt you. Come on."

"Naota, be careful! It could scratch you!"

"If it does, then it does. I'll get a penicillin shot. But c'mon, kitty." Strangely enough, the little animal didn't seem afraid of him. It was like it sensed he meant to help it.

He gingerly picked it up, doing his best to avoid hurting its back leg any more than it already had been, making soothing noises to it the whole time. It actually began to purr, there in his arms. Nina stared in amazement. This was a side to Naota-kun she'd never suspected. "Naota…"

"Sh," he said to the cat. "I'll take it to the vet down the road from where we live. He knows us…"

She adjusted her own backpack resolutely. "Let's go."

At the vet's: "It's a pretty bad break, Naota," said the doctor. "It's not just the leg. The break is actually up towards the hip, too far up to place a simple splint on it. I'd have to go in and put some pins in. That, uh…won't be cheap."

"How much?"

The vet scratched his head. "Well, if I do it right…about sixty-seven thousand yen."

"Ooh." Naota and Nina both were stunned. That much?

"But there's something else." They both looked up. "Er, well, this is a stray cat. She could have something like feline AIDS or leukemia or something. If so…" he spread his hands, "the best thing might be to…put her to sleep."

"Can you check her for that?"

"Yeah. But, Naota…even best case scenario, that's still gonna be a huge bill for a stray cat."

Naota didn't hesitate. "Do it, doc. I'll pay it."

Nina put her hand on his arm. "Naota! That's…that's a lot of money! _Can_ you do that?"

"Grandfather pays me to work in the bakery. I've got some saved up. Yeah, I can do it."

"I'll help."

"You don't have to, Nina…"

"Well, I _know_ I don't have to! I _want_ to!"

"O-okay. So, doctor…how soon can you do this?"

The cat tested clean for any diseases, and the vet gave her the standard vaccinations, also free of charge. "Least I can do," he told them. Then they brought the cat home to the Nandaba household to recuperate. And predictably, everybody went berserk.

Naota's grandfather objected strongly, suggesting they take the animal to the shelter, or to Nina's house. Kamon said he was allergic, which Naota knew wasn't true. Adults were such idiots, sometimes. And when they learned how much he'd spent, getting the cat operated on, they hit the roof.

All through it all, Naota simply endured, nodding calmly, then stating he'd keep the cat in his room, so Kamon's "allergies" wouldn't be affected, and telling Shigekuni that, what with all he'd paid out, he certainly ought to watch over his investment, oughtn't he? She could be a good mouser. They'd fussed and fought a little while longer, but finally acquiesced, stating that it would be okay as long as he kept the animal in his room, cleaned up after it, kept it away from the bakery, and minded Kamon's nonexistent allergies. He'd intended to do that, anyway.

All through it, Nina had watched, frankly amazed. The Naota she'd known in grade school had been a shy, introverted boy who'd hidden his insecurity behind a veneer of boredom. This Naota was a much stronger person, able to stand up to his own family; she found it…kinda thrilling. She wasn't sure she could have done the same.

Ever since the sex scandal involving her father, Nina had done her best to be a good daughter, to make her father proud, to be an asset to him. She knew that, even though his career might be on the skids, he nevertheless needed her to be a proper daughter. Her mother had already left. She knew everybody was expecting her to get involved with drugs, or get pregnant, or both. Neither one of them needed that. He'd worried about her stated intention of finding and reconnecting with Naota, but he tolerated it, partly, she suspected, because he wanted to know about this battle he'd supposedly had with that awful Haruko woman, when he'd acquired some sort of weird but tremendous personal power. Such a thing—knowledge of it, at least-could go a long way towards re-establishing his political career. She had no intention of being his spy or anything, but, well, she wanted to know herself, dammit! Just what _had_ happened there, anyway? Rumor had it he'd saved the whole town…

Now he'd saved a cat, just a plain stray kitty. This was telling her something about him. Something she found she liked.

"Well, Nina, it's getting late. I'm sure your dad's worried."

On the way: "Nina, we maybe shouldn't be passing through this area of town. It's gone downhill since you were here last."

"But it's the shortest-*"

"Hey! Naota! You got a pretty one this time! Won't you share your _aijin?_ After all, we're good friends, aren't we?" It was Toothless and his cohorts, still chortling. Obviously, they felt they were ready for him this time.

Naota was already shrugging out of his backpack. He handed it to Nina. "Hang on to this for a minute, will you?" Then he turned to Toothless, readying himself. "Come on. Try it. I really want you to." On they came.

Nina was amazed. This was not the Naota she'd known. She'd seen action movie stars fight, but this was not that. This was street fighting, down and dirty. It didn't even seem to matter when one gang member produced a knife; Naota twisted it out of his grip almost before it appeared, and she heard the sharp crack of the ganger's bone as it broke; he wouldn't be using _that_ arm for a while. It didn't take long before the entire gang was on the ground, with Toothless' head being ground into the gravel by Naota's hand. "You _ever_ ," he said, in a tone that chilled Nina's blood, "even _think_ about even getting in the _general vicinity_ of this girl ever again, and I'll _personally_ hunt you down and break every bone in your body. _Your_ body. That's not a threat. That's a promise."

The gang moved off, taking their wounded, muttering threats and imprecations under their breath. "Naota, I…had no idea you could…do all that." In spite of herself, Nina was impressed. First saving a cat, then beating the crap out of an entire street gang? This was definitely not the kid she'd known.

And although she was loathe to admit it, even to herself, it gave her a bit of a secret thrill to know he'd done it for her. That he'd protected her.

"Told you," he said, a bit sullenly. He hated having any portion of his inner being made so obvious. "I get into fights."

…

The train pulled into Mabase station, and the young woman got off of it. She looked to be about twenty, and was one helluva looker to boot. "Name?" said the receiving officer.

"Mimi," said the young woman. "And…" she asked, hesitantly, "could you tell me…where might I find the Nandaba family?"

….

A yellow Vespa motorbike was cruising the streets of Mabase, its pink-haired driver looking one way, then another. He had to be here, somewhere, surely. (Or did he? Maybe he'd moved) She'd already checked under the bridge; he wasn't there. No surprise. He wouldn't be in grade school anymore, but which high school would he be in? After all, there were more than one. How to find him? She didn't have access to the computer records….

She'd just have to keep looking. Sooner or later, she'd find him. Her bracelet would help, surely.

She only hoped she would be in time.

…..

Far out beyond the leading edge of the galaxy moved a convoy of very strange-looking objects.

They were not exactly machines, nor were they organic beings, nor sentient crystals, but seemed to possess the qualities and appearance of all three, plus something even stranger, all blended together to a very fine degree. It was impossible to tell where one aspect left off and the other began.

Coming into sensor range of the galaxy humans called the Milky Way, the fleet adjusted its course.

The galaxy does not have a clearly defined edge, as it is commonly depicted. Rather, one encounters a star, which orbits the main galactic black hole. Then, one encounters another. Then perhaps two more, in separate elongated orbits. Then perchance three, then none for a long time. Then perhaps a main sequence star, that many cultures consider the true "boundary" of the galaxy. To be precise, however, this is really a completely arbitrary boundary, simply one that is accepted by most starfaring cultures.

The _beons_ streaming in from intergalactic space had long since accepted such a definition. Just as they had accepted a certain arbitrary definition of organic life: _that which is to be exterminated._

…

"So this is where you live now? Nice digs," said Naota. Perhaps they weren't quite as sumptuous as Nina's family had known before, but still pretty good.

"You don't have to lie. It's a dump. The plumbing's always going out, and we're having to install new wiring in the upper hallway."

"It's still pretty good," he said, turning away. He didn't appreciate anyone, even her, calling him a liar, even if it was only in jest.

For once, she didn't notice the anger in his voice. "Won't you come in? It's the least I can do for my Knight in Shining Armor." She smiled a lopsided smile to show she was joking.

But he was shaking his head. "I really better not. It _is_ getting late, and father gets nervous when I'm out too late. Maybe he thinks the police have picked me up, or something. Again." Actually, Kamon didn't get _that_ bent out of shape, figuring his son could take care of himself, but right then, Naota was looking for an excuse to get away from Ninamori. She was just simply getting a little too personal for one first-time-in-many-years encounter.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Er…tomorrow?"

"Yes. I checked. We both have class two and three together. So…"

Oh, god. Would he be stuck with her all morning? "Uh, s-sure. Right. I, uh, didn't know that." _Wonder how fast I can change classes? Probably not before tomorrow._ "Well, I, uh, guess I'll see you then." And he turned to go.

If she hadn't been watching him, she might would've simply gone on inside, totally oblivious to his sudden stopping and looking around, as though suddenly hearing something that nobody else could hear. "Naota? What is it?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. Then, in a low voice, little more than a whisper, "She's here. She's back." And he turned partway to her.

Glowing red on his forehead was the Atomsk symbol.

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return

Chapter 3: Reunion

…

 _I don't own FLCL, Fooly Cooly, Furi Curi, or whateverthehell you wanna call it._

…

Chapter 3: Reunion.

"Nina, do me a favor, would you?"

"Of-of course." She sensed this wasn't like the "favors" other boys had asked of her. "What is it?" The red symbol was pulsating hypnotically on his forehead, and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of it.

He took her hands in his, his expression both sincere and worried. "Go inside. Stay there, until you hear from me. If you don't hear from me, then, then…call in sick tomorrow. But don't leave the house until you hear from me."

"Naota, you're scaring me. Why would you want me to do all that?" That pulsating symbol…

"It…it's just important." _How can I explain to you that you have an N. O. portal—a tunnel through another dimension—actually inside your head? That Haruko, if that's who it is, might come along and bash you in the skull, the way she did me?_

 _I wouldn't want that. Please, Nina._

….

He stormed into the Nandaba household, scarcely hearing the words of his father and grandfather. Ran up to his room. "Canti!" Slumped in its usual corner, the robot stirred, its cathode-ray-like head turning in his direction. "She's back, Canti," he continued, using the name Mimi had given it. Hell, it was as good a name as any, and probably better than most. The robot just looked at him and nodded. "Which one?" _I'm not sure which one would be worse news._

Canti's TV-screen "face" displayed a picture: "1 + 1". _"Both?_ They're _both_ back? And _right now?_ " _How likely is that?_ "Where are they?"

Now Canti's face displayed a two-dimensional aerial map of the city. Close by the river was a blue "M," while moving swiftly through the southwestern portion was a pink "H." He squinted closer at the screen. The blue "M" was very close to the bridge, and gradually moving towards it. _Aww, no._

Naota felt torn in two. On the one hand, he wanted to see how she'd been, for that matter _where_ she'd been, why she'd just _left_ like that…but a bigger part of himself said it was better to just let things lie. So she was back. Okayfine. He'd just continue to avoid that bridge…with Canti's help, he could track her and keep away from her.

It had hurt so much last time…

Avoiding Haruko would be a different matter. Assuming she was out actively hunting him, as she had before, she'd be riding around on that damned yellow Vespa, and could change location pretty rapidly. Plus, she had that bracelet, that seemed to allow her to zero in on him wherever he was.

But that proposed the troubling question: why hadn't she come straight here?

Was she maybe after somebody else?

A cold chill went down his back when he considered the possibility that she might be after the only other N. O. portal he knew of: Ninamori. If so, Nina's house might prove no shelter at all.

What to do?

Then he noticed Canti's pixilated face was flashing, evidently to get his attention. "What is it?" Again, the two-d map of the city appeared, but this time, instead of just showing the pink "H" and blue "M," it showed an orange circle around the "M." "What does that mean? I don't understand." Not for the first time, he regretted the robot's inability to speak. And why was that, anyway? Every other robot he'd ever heard of could speak. Well, except for R2-D2….

But the next image put all that out of his mind. It showed a picture of a "caution!" sign, an exclamation mark surrounded by a yellow triangle. And the next one was more disturbing still: a tombstone with the words: "Mamimi Samejima: Gone Too Soon" inscribed upon it. "What are you waiting for?" he gasped. "Get your metal butt up off the floor and get out those chompers!" And he eagerly leaped into Canti's extendable cavernous maw. "Just don't shit me out, like last time!"

….

Mamimi wandered the familiar streets of Mabase. She knew, or reasoned she knew, just where _he_ lived. That wasn't why she'd asked. Why she'd asked was to make sure he hadn't moved, as she was determined to be anywhere _but_ where he lived. She'd hurt him enough. And, in hurting him, she'd hurt herself.

She just wanted to see the bridge where they'd had such good times before. Just one last time. She knew, even back then, that it hadn't been right, but she'd deceived herself into thinking it was.

Now she knew better, of course. She knew it was wrong. But…those were still fond memories, to her. There hadn't been that many fond memories in Mamimi Samejima's life.

In fact, there'd been damn few.

One last time.

She sat down on the bridge walkway, back up against the railing (the railing had been placed there partially to prevent suicides; but it wasn't impossible to get over it, now was it?). It wasn't comfortable, but it was all she had. She couldn't go home; in a very real sense, she _had_ no home. Not one she'd feel safe going to, anyway.

If all else failed, she guessed there was at least one option. She didn't want to do it, but it was there.

Her own family, her own father, had beaten her when she refused to do what they wanted her to do. As far as she was concerned, she had no family.

The fondest memories she had were of holding a young boy, the brother of her boyfriend, under this very bridge…and in his bed, late at night, when his parents didn't know she was there. That was just plain sick and wrong, but she couldn't help it; they were all she had.

One last time.

She should never have come here, she realized. This was the place where it all—well, most of it—had happened. Where she'd used him, like a sex toy. Which, come to think of it, was precisely the use to which she'd put him… _(flashback: lying on top of him, underneath the bridge, moving against him in THAT SPECIAL way, her breath hitching as the sensual feeling welled up within her. She could feel his confusion, his befuddlement…and his desire, not just for her, but to be what she needed. In so many ways, his actions, his feelings, towards her had been more pure than those of any older boy, for his were not tainted as strongly by his own lust._

 _(It was all so sick! But…then why did it feel so…good?_

 _(Flashback: lying with him in his bed, wearing nothing but that baseball jersey of his brother's, holding him close, kissing him. "Takkun…I…I feel like I have to do this, or I'll, I'll overflow."_

" _What do you mean, Mimi?" But she could barely hear his voice, so powerful were the forces within her, hammering away at her self-control, her rationality, like a pile-driver._

 _She pulled up the jersey, and began moving up against him. Pure instinct drove her on. "Oh, Takkun…!" Then the explosion of such intense_ _sensation_ _that she almost shouted, and then afterwards, the golden afterglow, with her crushing him in so close to her that it was almost like he was inside her own skin…_

" _Hey! You got my pajamas all wet!")_

There was no way to justify that. None whatsoever.

Maybe that last option was the best one.

One last time…

Her stomach rumbled. It had been a long time since she'd eaten. But she had no money to get anything. Well, she knew of at least one way to get food or money, but she would starve before she'd do that; doing _that_ would only validate her family's opinion of her….besides, she wouldn't be hungry much longer.

Wait. What was that sound?

Three years before, she'd heard the sounds made by the machines / robots created by the interstellar organization known on Earth as Medical Mechanica. This sounded similar. _But that's crazy._ Takkun—make that _Naota-kun—_ had taken care of them. But could there be more?

Anxiously, she looked around. No robots in sight. But then, robots, she guessed, could be pretty good at hiding, when they chose to be. The ones she was most familiar with didn't bother, however.

She heard a sound coming from the sky. She looked up and saw a humanoid figure descending from the sky. It looked familiar…. " _Canti?_ " She couldn't really believe her eyes: scarcely in town for an hour, and here comes….

The robot landed, and she saw that some changes had been made. It was more streamlined, the head more elongated, the limbs less blocky. But overall, it was _bigger,_ as if it had _grown_ somehow… "Canti?" She didn't know any other name to call it.

And if it was here….

The robot landed, and the front chest panel opened up, and someone stepped out.

Mamimi stared in amazement. She of course recognized Tak—make that _Naota-kun_ —but how he'd grown!

He was no longer the boy she knew. Three years had made quite an impact on him. He'd filled out, grown taller and more muscular. But just as importantly, there was a difference in his face, his whole demeanor. This was a much more determined young man, one who'd faced his inner demons, and wasn't afraid to face them again.

And on his forehead glowed the red Atomsk symbol.

"N-Naota? Is, is that you?"

He didn't say anything, and for a brief moment, she knew fear: after all, their parting, those years ago, hadn't been on a positive note. It might be time for some payback.

But instead of replying, he moved forward, swiftly, and wrapped his arms around her. "Mamimi. I…I'm so glad to see you're alright." He looked her in the face; he was an inch taller than she was now. "You _are_ alright, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, Naota-kun. I'm fine." She strained to find some acceptable social response to a reunion she'd thought would never actually take place. "How, how have you been?" _Why were you so worried about me?_

 _How did you know?_

"Fine. Mamimi, where did you go? I looked everywhere for you…" He still hadn't released her from his embrace, and she found herself not really looking forward to that. It seemed like the longer he held her, the more her memories of Tatsuku, and of the way she'd been treated by her family…

…faded.

She pulled away from him. "I, I had to go away. It, it was…necessary."

He studied her a moment, there underneath the lights of the bridge. "Why? Mimi, it…it _hurt_ when you left."

She felt a tear course down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Naota. I, I really didn't have any choice."

"There's always a choice." By unspoken consent, they both sat on the walkway, leaning against the railing, with Canti standing over them.

"Not when you're arrested."

" _Arrested?_ Mimi, whatever for?"

"It's called 'carnal knowledge of a minor.' I'm a sex offender, Naota. On a list and everything. I've been in prison for the last three years. You shouldn't be seen with me." Those last were almost the exact words he'd said to Ninamori.

"A _sex offender?_ Mimi, who'd you molest?" The puzzlement in his voice was completely honest.

She looked at him oddly. "You, Naota-kun. I molested you. That's why you shouldn't be seen with me."

"Wait. You… _went to prison_ because of what we did?"

"Yes."

He processed that silently for a long time. Then, "Then why did you come back?" They were sitting side by side on the walkway, their backs pressed uncomfortably against the rails.

She dithered. Should she tell him the _real_ reason? Maybe…maybe not just yet. "I…I'm not entirely sure. Mostly I felt like…I had no other place to go. I only had enough money to get here, one way. But, but mostly I wanted to ask your forgiveness, Naota, for using you, like I did." _But there's another reason. One that doesn't make a lot of sense. Even to me._

He surprised her by putting his arm around her, just the way he had so many years ago. "Mimi…whatever you did… _we_ did. I could'a said no, I don't care what the law says. I still could'a said no. But I didn't. Yeah, maybe on some level I knew you were using me, a substitute for Tatsuku, but….I was okay with that. Er, wellmostly."

She looked at him in surprise. "You…you don't hate me?"

"No, Mimi, I don't. I don't hate you." _I could never hate you._

 _In fact, I think I lo—*_ But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling. "Sorry," she said, clutching her midsection.

"Mimi, when have you last eaten?"

"Oh, I ate. On the train."

"What did you eat?"

"Er…some peanuts. But, but it was a _really_ _big_ _bag_ of-*"

"That does it," he said, getting up. "Come on. My treat."

"Naota, no! I, I couldn't!"

He put his hands on his hips, exasperated. "Well, now, of course you can. Now do you come voluntarily, or do I have Canti pick you up bodily and carry you?"

She smiled, and he felt something inside him twist. The first time he'd seen Mamimi Samejima's smile in three years… "Okay. Since you twist my arm. But," she looked worriedly at the towering robot. "What about….?"

"No prob. Canti! Inside!" And the robot seemed to _flow_ , somehow, becoming fluid, and zeroing in on the symbol on Naota's forehead. " _Ow_ , but that _stings_!" He bent double for a moment, then straightened up. "Alright, now…about that food…."

…

The little café, _Il-Chan,_ did indeed serve excellent food, especially sushi, Mamimi's favorite. But she still felt guilty about Naota-kun treating her, after all she'd done to him. "Naota-kun…" she began.

He reached over and put his hand on her wrist. "Mimi. Don't even go there. I'm doing this because I want to, because, because I, I guess I'm glad you're back, for whatever reasons, and that you're okay. I was so worried."

"But I hurt you. You told me you loved me, and I, I rejected you. Told you it was 'only a dream.' That…that wasn't very nice of me, considering…all things considered."

"Nice, Schmice. Things are the way they are. Don't worry about it."

She dropped her eyes. "Naota, you don't know. I might be just playing you again. All for personal gain. I did it before. Who's to say I'm not doing it now?"

"Mimi, even if you are, _I don't really care._ That's the thing."

She finished up. In truth, this was the first good meal she'd had in a long time. The staff was still staring; the red Atomsk symbol was just now fading on Naota's forehead. "Well, I guess I'd better go….thank yo-*"

"Where will you go?"

She looked off, not meeting his eyes. "I'll find someplace. It won't be hard."

He got up from the table, too. "You know, I've got this _really good_ idea….."

Once again, the men of the Nandaba household hit the roof. "You hired a _what?_ " Shigekuni practically exploded.

"I hired a live-in maid. Why not? Not the first time. And you know it takes up a lot of our time just cooking and cleaning. She can take that burden off of us."

"The robot…!"

"…can only do what it's told to do. You remember how often you've had to correct its mistakes, stand over it, practically." Actually, he hadn't, but sometimes people can be induced to remember things differently from the way they actually occurred.

Shigekuni narrowed his eyes at him. "Hm. You, young man, are growing up much too rapidly." Kamon simply stood to one side and watched. Naota got the impression that his father was rather enjoying the spectacle.

Naota shrugged, looking to one side. "Well, grandfather, you were the one who always taught me to be prepared for opportunity. A live-in maid would take some of the load off of us, and increase our, uhm, productivity." He'd rehearsed his words. (All but a few, and he knew they were coming.) "You were the very one who was worried about an inspection by the Health Standards Board, weren't you? This is one way to avoid that— _if_ she's good at her job, of course. And, being live-in, getting free room and board, will help defray the cost of her wages."

Shigekuni sputtered. "We're barely making by as it is! How are we going to pay this young woman?"

"You pay me, I'll pay her. Simple. No extra out-of-pocket expenses."

Narrowed eyes. "I thought you were saving up for college."

Okay, here it came. "Welllll, since I'll have more free time, I, er, uhm," _gulp_ , "might, just _might,_ have more time for…extracurricular activities." Oh, how it hurt to say that.

"'Extracurricular activities?"

"You know. Like…baseball, for example."

Shigekuni's eyes narrowed even further. "Ah…I begin to see. Yes, extracurricular activities… That might prove most…beneficial. A scholarship, maybe. Of course, you'd have to stay on the team. That would mean keeping up your grades and your scores."

"I understand, grandfather." Naota inclined his head slightly. Kamon looked as though he was about to burst out laughing. He turned away from the table to hide his expression.

But now it was Naota's turn to give his grandfather and father a stern look. "Of course, should her time be…taken up with…other activities, shall we say, then I'd have to return to my old duties, and that wouldn't leave me much time for the team." _After all, one hand shakes the other._

Shigekuni and Kamon looked at each other momentarily. Then, "Very well. But you will be responsible for her salary and her upkeep. Not to mention her performance. If she needs to be fired, you will do it.

"Now. Just what is this young woman's name?"

Naota rolled his eyes, and a drop of sweat coursed down the side of his head. Now came the part he hadn't rehearsed. "Well, iiiitt's…somebody we all know. She's, er, trustworthy." _I hope the ceiling can take further hits…._

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: Stalking

FLCL: Fooly Cooly, Chapter 4: Stalking

….

 _I don't own the FLCL franchise. Of course._

… _._

Chapter 4: Stalking

There was no other room for her but Naota's.

"I'll sleep on the top bunk, you take the bottom." _Just like before. Back when…_

"Naota, look, let me find somewhere else…"

"You've already found somewhere else. Here. Now come on, Mimi. Don't give me a hard time." He'd already had a hard enough time; Shigekuni had exploded again at the idea of "that whore" living under his roof. It had taken all of Naota's powers of persuasion to get him to allow Mimi to stay. Afterwards, he'd felt exhausted, completely drained.

Now she was looking worried. "What's wrong?"

"Er, Naota? I, uh, don't have anything but these clothes." She'd been discharged with little more than the clothes on her back—a simple blue denim shirt and a pair of blue jeans ( _extremely_ _tight_ blue jeans, he'd noticed…

 _Now quit that_!), and a couple of sets of underwear ( _quit that, too!)_ -and a very few personal belongings, along with a small amount of money.

Tatsuku's picture had been one of those personal belongings.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem. I'll just get you one of Tatsuku's jerseys, just like before…"

"Oh," she said, clearly unsatisfied with that solution.

"Mimi, it's all I've got. My pajamas won't fit either of us anymore, and I don't have an undershirt that would come down far enough on you. All I sleep in, these days, are sleep pants. Er. That, uhm, wouldn't work out quite so well for you." _Interesting to think about, though._

 _Shuttup, voice._ "Even wearing an undershirt, my sleep pants are too big for you, anyway. They'd fall right off of you." _That, too, is interesting to think about._

 _Hey, voice. Do I have to tell you to shuttup again?_

"Thank you, Naota-kun. You are most kind." As before, she went into the bathroom and donned the jersey, and settled into the bunk.

He lay back in his own bunk, formerly Tatsuku's, picking up a novel, trying to distract himself from thinking about Mamimi's legs. Their quality hadn't decreased one bit since he last saw them; if anything, they'd gotten better. For that matter, just about everything about her had improved. "You don't have to be so formal. I'm still just plain Naota. I'll have your clothes cleaned, and maybe tomorrow we'll see about getting you some more."

"But…but I don't have any money!"

"I'll loan you some. Give you an advance on your paycheck. You can pay me back whenever you can." _Not that I'll ever hold you to it._

 _Just you being back is payment enough._

She sat on the lower bunk for a moment, and he heard her hitch her breath. Looking down, he saw tears coursing down her face. Now what?

He got down from the upper bunk and sat beside her. "Mimi, what's wrong?"

"Naota, you…you don't have to be so nice to me. I know what I did was wrong. I really shouldn't impose on you like this…"

"Now, Mimi, don't start. You're here for a reason." _Mostly because I love you._ "You're here to do a job. Simple as that. You're employed now. And, and, all this will look good on your resume." She was looking worse, not better. _Brother! Tell me what to do!_ Quick, change the subject. "By the way, I haven't introduced you to my new cat." He went over into the corner, where the little cat's "house" box, an enclosed affair, was. "Come on out, kitty." He turned to her, a semi-shamed look on his face. "Haven't gotten around to naming her yet."

The little cat limped out. "Takkun!" shouted Mimi. She rushed over and swept the cat up in her arms. "I don't believe it! But it's true!" She turned to Naota, who was looking on in amazement. "Don't you remember? This is Takkun! See? That little white spot on her forehead? That's where I said Canti had kissed her. Don't you remember?" The little cat seemed perfectly at ease in Mimi's arms.

"You mean…this is…the same cat?" Talk about coincidence!

Or…was it coincidence?

"Yes! Oh, Takkun! I mean, Naota! Thank you!" And she reached over, still holding the cat in her arms, and kissed him on the cheek. Then, realizing what she'd done, she colored. "Oh. Sorry. I…I'm sorry."

"Okay, as your employer, I hereby officially order you to quit apologizing so much." He leaned forward and pecked her on the forehead. "Now, I'm gonna turn in. One of your duties here will be to take care of, of Takkun here. You see she's had surgery recently; she'll need extra care. So…but I think you'd that anyway, wouldn't you?"

The expression of love on her face as she looked at the cat answered his question for him.

…

Later on that night: _Hey, bro,_ he texted

 _Sup lil bro?_

 _Mamimi's back._

 _She is, huh? Not surprised._

 _You expected her to come back?_

 _I expected her to come back to Mabase. Where is she now?_

 _My old bunk. I think she's asleep._

 _Your place huh? Not surprised there either._

 _Is there anything that does surprise you?_

 _She needs you bro. You know that._

 _She needed me, maybe. But why is she back?_

 _Why do you think?_

 _You could just tell me. It's not against the law or something._

 _Watch the anger, lil bro. Remember, even if you hadn't had the experiences you had, you're still a teenager. Teens get angry. It's biology._

 _As to why she needs you, Naota, you and I are the only ones who've ever loved her in her entire life. Do you know what her folks wanted to do with her?_

 _No but I can guess. Prostitution?_

 _Close enough. That's why they beat her with rods, rather than lashes. Bruises fade. Lash marks don't heal so easy. And they devalue the merchandise._

 _Hard to believe, in this day and age, there's people that depraved._

 _Believe it, lil bro. Love's a necessity, not a luxury. You were the only person—the only person she could get to—who'd ever loved her, loved her for herself. And there could, there just could, be more to her coming back to you than she lets on._

As he signed off that night, the thought occurred to him, in the back of his head, that Tatsuku had sure seemed to respond to his texts in record time. Even at the speed of light, still…it should have taken some time to type in his responses.

But before he could give the matter much thought, he fell asleep.

….

The next day, after school. He was walking home when Ninamori suddenly appeared by his side. "Hi," he said.

She didn't say anything. Uh oh. " _Now_ what? And don't say 'nothing.'"

"I hear _she's_ back. _And_ living at your house."

He turned to her. "Ninamori, are there, like, security cams all over the city that you've managed to hack into? 'Cause how did you know all this so fast?"

She sniffed. What was with this attitude? "Last night, you said, 'she's back.' I checked with the receiving officer at the train station. And I happen to be on good terms with the staff of _Il-Chan."_

He rubbed the side of his face. "Nina, in anyone else, that would be considered stalking behavior." _In you, it's normal_. "Besides, what are you doing at school today? I didn't text you that it was safe."

"Why wouldn't it be safe? It's _school,_ for God's sake! What could happen here? And who are you to tell me if I can come to school or not?" She wasn't quite shouting, but she was close.

 _Boy if only you knew._ "Look, Nina. Yes, Mamimi is back. Yes, she's living at my house. But _only as a maid_." _Why do I feel the need to explain this?_ "You've seen my house; we bachelors don't seem to have the 'clean' gene, evidently. And the robot can't do it all. Besides, she helps take care of the cat. _But that's all._ She's not there for…you know." _It's not Mamimi who's the danger, it's-*_

"Sex, you mean." She had her arms crossed, and her expression was decidedly angry. Not a good combination, especially in Eri Ninamori. "Well, tell me something, Naota Nandaba" (he was in trouble now; she'd used his full name) " if she was just some random stranger, with whom you'd never had any sort of …relations, would you have hired her?"

"I like to think I would."

"Naota, you have a _certified_ _sex offender_ living in your house! And _you're_ the one she molested! How can you say there's no connection there?"

"Nina, _why are we having this conversation?!_ If I want to hire an, an old friend to, to keep up the house, isn't that my business?"

"You're right!" she shouted, loud enough to turn heads. "It is your business! And none of mine!" And with that, she stormed off. He hadn't thought it was possible for little Eri Ninamori to stamp her feet quite so audibly.

On the way to her house, a seedy looking individual whistled at her. "Hey, cutie-*" _Piaow!_ A full backpack straight to the face stretched him out on the ground. _"Out of my way, perv!"_

The remainder of her trip home was unremarkable.

At the Nandabas': Mimi was getting used to her routine, part of which involved avoiding both Kamon and Shigekuni, though for different reasons. And she tended to the cat, Takkun. It still gave her a hitch to her breath when she remembered who she'd named her for.

But Tatsuku, if he'd ever been hers anyway, was lost to her, forever. Truth was, she had a stronger relationship with his little brother. _Had_ a stronger relationship with his little brother. _Now, quit thinking about that. When are you going to tell him the real reason you came back?_

 _That the entire Earth is in danger? How will you explain your knowing that? For that matter, how do you explain it to yourself?_

…

The _beons_ canvassed several star systems. None had any intelligent lifeforms, which was…disappointing. Still, they made do with what they had. It would have to do for now.

…..

The next day at school: Naota was getting used to Nina avoiding him. That was just Nina's way: she was like unto a Force of Nature. If she wanted into your life, she'd barrel herself in there. (Nina-zilla?) And if she wanted out, there was nothing you could do about it.

However much he wanted to.

He'd projected Canti out, and, under Mimi's direction, the robot (which was more than a mere robot, he was coming to understand—why did he get the impression it was _watching_ him, sometimes?) was assisting her in her housekeeping duties. The house was _much_ cleaner; even Shigekuni, the Nandaba's Official Disapprover of Just About Everything, had to admit that.

But one thing still worried him: where was Haruko? Why hadn't she made an appearance yet? She surely knew where he lived; she'd once lived in his room, where Mimi was now, and had once pinned him down on his own bed, f'gosh sakes. And it wasn't like they'd moved or anything.

She'd offered to "show him" what it was like to be an adult…at first, he hadn't really understood just exactly what she'd meant, but then the way she'd _moved_ against him filled in the blanks. There wasn't a whole lot of doubt after that.

But she'd left, saying he was just a kid. How cold was that?

But then a little voice in the back of his skull whispered, _could it be you're remembering things a little differently than they really were? Was she really all_ _that_ _…cold blooded towards you?_

 _I thought I told you to shuttup._

 _Ooops, sorry, my mistake._

He longed to talk to Ninamori about it, but knew better. It was different with boys and girls. Girls could get away with talking to boys, even boys with a history of…trouble. But those same boys couldn't do that. That would be stalking, or even a kind of assault, depending on how the courts viewed it.

But he sure missed her. They'd only just found each other again after all this time—well, actually, _she'd_ just found _him_ again after all this time—but he found himself missing her, her apparent concern, even her bossiness. Guess she hadn't been too serious when she said she cared about him. Like most people in his life. Friends come and friends go. Mostly, they seemed to go.

Damn.

….

Mamimi walked to the store to get some cleaning supplies. Yes, a little Pine Sol, some cleanser…make the place much better. Naota-kun would be so pleased.

But on the way back, she heard the growl of an engine. It was too loud and too close for a regular vehicle. Instinctively, she knew just exactly what it was.

Turning, she saw the yellow Vespa, complete with Haruko astride it, already holding her guitar, slapping it against her right palm. "Hello, bitch. We've a lot to talk about."

"Do we, now?" After prison, Mimi wasn't intimidated by her pink-haired adversary. Or…competition?

Haruko hesitated momentarily. This wasn't quite the same bubble-brained young woman she'd known, years ago. "Yeah. Like _where he is."_

Mimi looked steadily at Haruko. "Why are you asking me that? _You_ know where he lives. _You_ lived there yourself, and it wouldn't shock me to learn you fucked his brains out while you were there. And _you're_ asking _me_ where he is?"

More slapping of the guitar. "Yeah, I lived there. But every time I go by, he's gone. And…my usual ways of…finding him don't seem to be working. So I gotta go back to basics.

"And we _didn't_ fuck-*"

"Not for lack of trying on your part, I bet."

"-not that that's any of _your_ business. _You're_ the 'carnal knowledge' girl.' That'd be more _your_ thing."

"Yeah? Well, at least _some_ of us have what it takes, I guess."

Haruko snarled. "Enough WWE trash talking. Do you tell me, or do I beat it out of you? Better still, how 'bout I just beat it out of you anyway? I'm in the mood. Be a shame to waste it."

Mimi put her supplies on the sidewalk, and readied herself. "Bring it, bitch."

"Your funeral." And Haruko Haruhara gunned the motor on her Vespa, swinging her guitar, building up momentum.

But Mimi wasn't intimidated. She ran towards the oncoming Vespa, grabbed the handlebars, and vaulted over them, planting both feet firmly in Haruko's midsection, adding her own momentum to the Vespa's.

"Ooof! Hey!" Caught off-guard, Haruko was knocked completely off the bike, and went tumbling across the pavement.

With an agility she hadn't realized she possessed, Mimi swung around, dragging herself into the Vespa's seat. She gunned the motor, even as Haruko shouted after her. "Hey! Come back here!"

 _Yeah, that'll happen._

 _I've got to get to Naota-kun. I've got to tell him Haruko's back, and looking for him._

…

Naota was just coming from baseball practice—his grandfather had, completely unnecessarily, gone easy on him, probably to encourage him—when he heard the familiar growl of the Vespa. _Oh, no._ But it wasn't Haruko riding the bike, but Mimi. She pulled to a stop just in front of him, out of breath. "She…she's back, Naota, and, and looking for you."

He didn't hesitate. "Move over. I doubt I'm the only one she's looking for." _Stalking or not, I have to warn Nina._

….

At Ninamori's house: he rang the doorbell repeatedly, but got no response. There was a cam just over the door, and he suspected that had a lot to do with the lack of response. "C'mon, Nina. This is important. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't."

Cautiously, very cautiously, the door opened just a crack, and one half of Nina's angry face peeked out. "I see you brought _her_ with you. Moral support, maybe? Or maybe it'd be better said, _im_ moral support?"

He pushed the door open against her protests. This was no time for subtleties. She was already on the phone, dialing the police. He took the phone out of her hands. "Will you _listen_ to me? Just for a moment? Then we'll go. I promise." But she was casting around for another phone, clearly uninterested in anything he had to say.

Her father descended the stairs. "Eri? What's going on?"

"We have a home invasion, father, and they won't let me call the police. Use your phone and get them out of here. Preferably in handcuffs." She turned to Mimi. " _You_ ought to be used to _that._ In more ways than one."

Naota stepped between Nina and a simmering Mimi. "Look, Nina, the reason why I'm here—*"

"Wait," said her father, recognizing Naota. "Aren't you Naota Nandaba? I've been wanting to meet you! Come in, come in! Eri, get out the refreshments…"

"Oh, God." Nina buried her face in her hands. Clearly, she wasn't going to get any help from her father. She turned to Naota. "I am NOT LISTENING TO YOU! I don't care what you have to say! It doesn't matter! Just get out of my house! And take your whore with you! Now!"

" _What_ did you call me?!"

"Now, Eri, that's not being a good hostess…."

"Look, excuse us a minute, here, would you?" And he dragged a passively-resisting Nina over towards a quiet corner. "Look, _what is this problem here_ , anyway? Why this, this World War Three, Four, and Five attitude towards Mamimi? She's done nothing to you. And weren't you the very one who told me, just the other day, that you'd have wanted to 'save' her? You don't know where she's been for the last three—wait, strike that, forgot who I was talking to. _You_ probably know not only where she's been, but her prison identification number." She said nothing, but just crossed her arms and turned away, her angry countenance unmoved. He toyed with the notion of telling her, that if she kept looking like that, it would make her face freeze in that expression, but didn't think this was the time for that sort of thing just right now. "I just don't understand where this attitude change came fr-*" And a virtually explosive look of pure comprehension crossed his face.

Uh.

Oh.

Before, he'd been under the assumption that Nina was trying to reconnect with him on a friend basis. He'd been wrong. Dead wrong. "I don't believe it. This is jealousy. You're _jealous!_ "

"I am not!"

He clutched the sides of his head, shock evident on his face. "Oh. My. _God_."

"If I'm God, then you and your little bedwarmer over there are in deep trouble."

He didn't even hear her, still clutching the sides of his head. "I must absolutely _suck…_ "

"She taught you that, too? Boy, she's good."

"…at grasping relationships." He closed his eyes and shook his head as though to clear it. _Focus, Naota._ "Look. I'll say it quick: Haruko's back in town and she could be after you," he said, as swiftly as he could. "That's why I was wanting you to stay indoors the other day. Wasn't for my sake!"

"You're crazy! She, she," and here, she gestured at Mimi, "did something to you. Drugs, maybe. Hypnosis. Pillow talk, for god's sake. Or all three. Why in _God's name_ would that insane woman be after _me_?"

He drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She couldn't seem to go two sentences without some comment about his supposed sex life. "Because you have what's called an 'N. O. portal' inside your head. That's a portal through another dimension. It's activated—or at least mine was—by being hit in the head with Haruko's guitar."

She stared at him, her fury momentarily forgotten. She remembered his fighting skills; if he was truly insane, from whatever source, they were all in danger. "Now, just calm down, Naota. Nobody's threatening anybody…"

"Look, I'm not crazy! I know it _sounds_ crazy, but it's not! Do you remember," he said, trying to reach past her fear and anger, "back when we had that school play, and you hit me? What happened?"

She turned away, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Nothing. I, I had a delusion, that's all. A hallucination." Her father had left the room, presumably to prepare the refreshments that his daughter was clearly not going to. He really wanted to talk to Naota, and hoped Eri's notorious temper didn't drive him away. She did have one helluva temper. Just like her mother.

"Did that 'hallucination,'" Naota began, "involve me sprouting cat ears? And _you_ sprouting a robot out of your head that dragged you all over town?"

Again a stare. "How the fuck," she began, incredulously, "could you know that?"

"Because it the fuck happened. I was there. That's what I meant, about an interdimensional portal. And it being activated by getting hit. I didn't want you to-*"

Her father came back into the room, bearing a tray. "Hey, refreshments are served. I've got cake, cookies, and whatever soft drink you'd like…"

There was a chime from the door.

Naota knew exactly who it was. _Okay, this is it._

 _Showdown._

"Everybody keep back," he said, and slapped his head, the red Atomsk symbol appearing on his forehead. Immediately, his guitar, the Rickenbacker 4001, _flowed_ out of the symbol, materializing in his grasp. " _Way_ back." _No matter who she's after, I gotta protect Nina._

He flung the door open. Standing in it was Haruko, just as he remembered her, pink hair, biker's uniform, crazy grin and everything. She hadn't aged a bit. But then, he hadn't expected her to. "Hey, kid. Miss me?"

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Allies?

FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return

Chapter 5: Unexpected Allies?

….

 _Okay, people. This one crosses a few boundaries. I'm bringing in original characters from an ongoing series I have posted on fictionpress, under "Godrise."_

 _Question: what would you do if you had unlimited, godlike power?_

 _Answer: Probably get into one helluva fight. Of course._

… _._

He slammed his guitar into her, knocking her across the yard, her manic grin slipping into a more serious expression. "Hey! Wait up!" She dodged his next blow, twisting to get better stance. She held out her hands in front of her, in a defensive gesture. "I didn't come here to fight!"

"Boy, did you ever come to the wrong place!" he shouted, swinging the guitar. This one connected solidly, and he slammed her across the street, where she crashed into a tree.

She slumped, unresisting. "Okay, kid. Maybe I deserve this. Just…make it quick, would'ja." She turned her head to one side, closing her eyes, scrunching her face up. That beautiful face, that lovely body he'd once fantasized about…

He raised the Rickenbacker. Time to end this…

Then he remembered Mimi's bruises.

 _Nobody should beat a girl like that. Nobody._

Haruko was a girl. Well, a woman, but same thing.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, turned to see Mimi standing there. "Naota, don't. Please. You'll be hurting yourself worse than you'd hurt her. Trust me; I know."

All throughout the battle, Nina and her father had been watching, open mouthed. They'd seen Naota pull a guitar out of his head. Right out of his _freakkin' head_. They'd both seen that.

All of a sudden, the idea of interdimensional portals inside people's skulls didn't seem quite so fantastic.

Naota slowly lowered the guitar. "If you're after the power of Atomsk, _again,_ I don't have it. So you can just pack up and leave. I'm of no use to you," he said coldly. He'd once loved this woman, or thought he had. But she'd clearly seen only opportunity in him. He was, after all, "just a kid."

At least, Mimi's use of him hadn't been deliberate. He guessed.

… _you're the first one I saw…._

Haruko turned her head facing him. "May I get up, now?"

"You can get up and leave. Like I said, I'm of no use to you."

She slowly sat up, drawing her knees up under her chin, careful to avoid making any threatening gestures. During the entire battle, she hadn't even produced her own weaponized musical instrument. It remained in its carrying case strapped to her back. Could it be she really hadn't come here for a fight? But no; deception was her usual tactic. "Believe it or not—and I know you probably won't—I'm not here for that power. Oh, I'd take it, if it were, you know, available. But that's not…completely…why I'm here." She sighed. "I learned the hard way I can't use the power. It…well, let's just say it doesn't work for me. But it does work for you; don't deny it. I can tell.

"And so can others."

"Others?"

Haruko sighed again, blowing an errant strand of pink hair out of her perfect face. This wasn't going quite the way she'd hoped. "What you call Medical Mechanica. It…it's more than just what you saw. More than just that, that installation we destroyed. A _whole lot_ more.

"And that 'whole lot more' are on their way here, right down our collective throats. Right now, they're just entering galactic perimeter space. Last I heard, the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood was assembling to fight them off."

"So?"

"So they'll lose, that's what. Naota, the Space Patrol has maybe a few hundred ships, maybe a thousand.

"Medical Mechanica has _millions._ "

 _That_ was a sobering thought. Then Naota asked a question he'd wondered about for three years. "What, exactly, do they want, anyway? Why are they even here? You implied—sorta—that they weren't here to just conquer the Earth, so why are they coming here?"

"Two things: one, they seek to eliminate thought. All thought. Wherever they go, one of the first things they do is destroy, sort of, all sentient life. Why? Who knows? 'Cos they're aliens? They're an amalgamation of all sorts of beings, organic, inorganic, and other stuff." She flapped a hand in a gesture he'd seen her use before, her personal sign language for "it's complicated." "The current theory is, this is part of their, their cycle of evolution. Post-sentience, so to speak." Another pause, while she looked pointedly at Naota's forehead. "The other thing I think you know about."

"I told you I don't have the Atomsk power. Is there something wrong with your hearing?"

"That a tattoo on your forehead? How do you make it glow like that in broad daylight? And I'll make you a bet: you can slap your head, think of Canti being here, and, boom, he'll be here. If I lose, then I'll leave and you'll never see me again." Her expression turned that peculiar "Haruko Haraharu" mix of crazy and crafty that he remembered so fondly. "But if I win…weeeell, let's just say, for twenty-four hours, I'll _definitely_ make it worth your while."

Mimi grabbed Naota's guitar. "YOU. TOTAL. WHORE!" She started to swing the guitar, but this time, it was _Naota_ who had to stop _her_. "Mimi! No!"

"Hey, Sameji," laughed Haruko, "jealous much?"

…..

There was a bright flash of golden light high above the atmosphere. Two humanoid figures fell out of it, nearly sixty thousand feet up.

Ben Sinclair wrenched himself back from the colossal blow he'd received via sheer will. He instinctively reached out for Lindsey, then checked to see where they were. "Lindsey!" But she was unconscious. From the looks of it, she'd tried to shield them both from Chaos' blow while simultaneously opening the portal. The combined effort, under those circumstances, had exhausted even her prodigious reserves; she was out cold.

Even as they fell, he desperately reached out, folding his arms around her, pulling her in as tightly as possible, making sure her head was protected, wrapping her green cloak around her for additional protection, and positioning himself so his back was to the ground, which was coming ever closer with alarming speed. _I must protect her,_ he thought, then devoted the rest of his remaining energy to shielding them from the friction and the imminent impact…

…..

"You still haven't told me why _you're_ here. From what you say, this place is gonna become Ground Zero, and there's nothing anybody can do about it. I'd think you'd be scooting out the other side of the galaxy by now."

"Because," she began, "this is as good a place as any to stop their invasion of the galaxy. Better than most. A, a first stand, rather than a last one. They grow stronger with every inhabited world they conquer; so far they haven't had much to, to feed on. But they hit a large, populated cluster…and it's basically game over for the galaxy." She looked up from her seat on the ground. _Those eyes,_ thought Naota. _So pretty._ He shook himself back to reality. "That was one reason I was after Atomsk's power to begin with. Not the only one, I'll admit. But one." Shrug. "After all, I _live_ in this galaxy. This is where all my _stuff_ is, dammit! And I'll be damned if I just abandon my home just because of a horde of, of, overpriced calculators." This last was said in almost a snarl. Naota found himself having to hide a grin. Yep, this was Haruko, alright. That fire, that spirit. He wouldn't have her any other way.

Wait. Where had _that_ thought come from?

"Look," said Nina's father, "Let's move this indoors, okay? All this sounds way too serious to be holding a meeting like this out here in broad daylight."

"FAther!"

"Now, Eri, you know it's best. Evidently, we all have some things to discuss. Besides, your root beer is getting warm."

Once seated inside, with Naota and Mimi on one side of the room, Haruko on the other, and Nina and her father in the middle, off to one side, Haruko continued. "Yes, it's like I said: Medical Mechanica will be drawn right here, by the trail of power from Atomsk. And right now, that trail also leads them right to you, Naota." She'd chosen a sweetened fruit drink, and was currently getting outside of a surprising amount of it. Already Nina's father had refilled it three times. Crossing interstellar space, not to mention rush-hour traffic, must be thirsty work. Naota worried about her blood sugar.

Wait. _Worried?_

"So what'll they do when they get here?"

"To you? Plug you into their machines. Whether or not _you_ can access the power of Atomsk, I can promise you, _they_ can, for sure. Then they'll use that to bring more of their forces here. To your friends?" Another swig of fruit drink. "You really don't want to know."

"Yeah I do."

"No, you don't. It's…not pretty, even to think about."

"Haruko…I _need_ know. I may need that…motivation." His eyes cut in the direction of Mimi as he said it, not completely aware he was doing so.

Nina, however, noticed. She also noticed them sharing a sour drink, and remembered that Naota had always said he hated sour drinks. Yet now, Mimi would absently hand him her drink, and he'd just as absently take it. Neither of them seemed aware of what they were doing. Something inside her sank when she saw that.

But Haruko was looking up towards the ceiling, her bracelet jangling like a windchime in a hurricane. "What," she said, "the _hell_ is that?"

…

The police had cordoned off the impact crater. After all, something had fallen from what appeared to be outer space, and just what it was, remained to be determined. Already, the mayor had sent for specialists to investigate…

Ben Sinclair came to a painful consciousness, still holding Lindsey. "Ow," he said, even as his seemingly infinite reserves of energy renewed him. "Lindsey! Wake up!"

The girl in his arms stirred. "Ben? We're…we're alive. Okay, that's the good news." She put a hand to her head, wincing. "Though I don't suppose you'd happen to have an aspirin on you, would you?"

"Sorry."

She looked up, partially extracting herself from his grasp, sitting on his stomach. She smiled as she realized what must have happened: the blow, getting blown back into normal space, falling from who knows how far up…and Ben shielding her with his own body, just as she had him. _We make quite the pair,_ she thought. "Where…where are we?" She sharpened her senses and cast about…

"Looks to be Earth. _An_ Earth, rather. But exactly where, I'm still trying to figure that out. Oh, and you can get off me anytime you like. I'm beginning to feel like a futon."

"It's Earth, all right. _An_ Earth, as you say." The girl in green sat up more fully, climbing off of him, allowing him to sit up. "No offense, but you make for a rather lumpy cushion," she smiled.

"Well, ex-sCYOOOOOZE me. Remind me to eat more at the buffet, pack on a few pounds. That way, next time, you'll have a better pillow."

She laughed, her own injuries healing as rapidly as his. "Don't bother. If you eat any more than you already do, you'll need a spork the size of Tokyo." She paused, while information streamed into her highly evolved senses. "Coincidently, we're actually rather close to that very city. This is…yes, this is Japan." She focused her telepathy. "The city of Mabase, to be precise." She got up, and offered him a hand up. "Thank you, by the way, for _being_ that cushion. I gather," she said, looking at the crater, "that we did this."

"Looks that w-*"

"Hey!" They looked up to see a pair of armed policemen approaching, along with some EMTs. "You two alright? Either of you see what did this?"

"We didn't see it; we ARE it." Ben turned to the startled police. Lindsey flipped her hood up over her head; she hadn't yet cast the concealing illusion over her face, and there was no point in freaking these humans out… "Sorry about falling on your planet like that, but it was close by."

"Ben," Lindsey grasped at his elbow. "Chaos might have followed us. Can you sense anything?"

He shook his head, totally ignoring the flabbergasted humans. "No, but your senses always were sharper than mine." He cast about. There was something here, some hint of a strong power. Not Chaos, thank the Fates…not yet, anyway. But something. "We need to regroup." Although neither of them had anything like the fictional "X-ray vision," their senses could nonetheless detect things far beyond mere sight. "There. There's a neat little café. C'mon, my treat."

"Hey, wait up!" One of the policemen walked a bit closer, clearly confused. "You two say _you_ caused all this?"

But both Ben and Lindsey ignored him, concentrating, as they were, on the source of power Ben had sensed. "What's the name of this place, this cafe?" asked Lindsey.

" _Il-Chan._ From what I'm reading from the minds of those around us, it's pretty good. You _do_ like sushi, don't you?"

"You know I do." And she hooked her arm in his, and they levitated off, headed towards the coordinates Ben had sensed.

….

"Somebody's here," said Haruko, almost in a whisper. "It's not Atomsk's power…it's something else."

"Yeah," muttered Naota, his head also turned upwards towards the ceiling. He suddenly turned to the pink-haired biker. "You getting this? Two nodes of power. Enormous power, at that." His head rotated towards the south. "Right…over…there."

At _Il-Chan:_ "Here they come." Ben gestured with his head at the crowd of humans outside. "I suppose it was inevitable." There were an inordinate number of armed police in the approaching crowd, he noticed. Of course. The usual human response to the unusual: throw bullets at it.

And, they could both tell, the military had been called. They just hadn't arrived yet.

Not that any of that mattered, really. Power-wise, the humans had no means of even causing the two any inconvenience…but socially…

"We aren't here to fight the mortals," said Lindsey, sipping on her coffee. It was close to being the real thing. _Or perhaps we're just used to something else_ , she thought. "If anything, we're here to protect them."

"Hmph. Don't think _they_ see it that way," grumped Ben. "And I'm not sure _I_ do." He did have a temper, Lindsey remembered; considering that they'd just come from a really nasty fight, one they'd nearly lost, this wasn't a good time to test his self-control.

Back in their home universe, which was apparently lost to them forever, and before he'd learned what self-control he had, the ground would literally shake when he got angry. He'd once destroyed an entire planet. Fortunately, it had been uninhabited.

She reached over and placed her hand on his wrist. "Now, Ben. Remember, they don't know us, don't know what's going on. They can't know they're in such danger. All they know is, we show up and crash, literally, onto their planet. And we're obviously…different from them. People frequently act out of fear towards those who are different." She still hadn't lowered her hood; it hid one _extremely_ obvious difference, one that, back in their old universe, had led to Lindsey's people being the subject of genocide. "We don't need to stay. Just recoup, recover a bit, and then return to the time stream, maybe go back to Olympus, try to find Chaos. But we need to plan first."

But Ben was looking upward. "Do you sense that?"

"What, you mean those two nodes of power?" She'd been so focused on keeping Ben straight that she hadn't noticed anything aside from the two anomalies.

"Not that. Focus your senses outward, towards the galactic edge. Feel that?"

Now that her attention was drawn to it, Lindsey could sense a diffuse swarm of power-nodes. Nothing on the order of Chaos' power, thank the Fates, but certainly significant.

And they were on a direct course for this very world.

…

The _beons_ had made short work of the Galactic Space Patrol. The lucky ones were killed outright, but not all were that lucky.

Those who _weren't_ lucky not only provided additional power to the swarm, but also information. They / It had been reasonably sure of their / its course before, but now, there was no doubt.

…

Earth: Haruko suddenly put her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes, her expression downcast. A tear trickled down her face. Naota stared in amazement; he hadn't been aware Haruko Haraharu was physically capable of crying. "Amarao," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"What? What is it?"

But she shook her head. "It's nothing. Nothing important, at least." She straightened up. "Just me letting somebody down, again," she whispered so low that only Naota, who was closest to her, could hear. He frowned. What did she mean by that? She looked at him. "So, kid. What's the plan?"

"Why're you asking me?"

She looked off and shrugged. "My plans don't seem to work out so good. I was thinking maybe you had a better one."

"What was your plan before, when you were here three years ago? Besides absconding with the Atomsk power, I mean."

"Really very simple. Get the power, then lure Medical Mechanica here. Then, N. O. 'port the entire solar system to just a few inches above the event horizon of the galactic black hole. Even Medical Mechanica couldn't take _that_."

" _That_ was your plan? _Destroy the entire solar system_?"

"As opposed to letting them destroy or absorb the entire galaxy? Well, _yeah_! Like I said, you gotta better plan?"

"I'd have to go a considerable stretch to come up with a worse one!" This time, he glanced, not only at Mimi, but also at Nina. "Like you said, this is where all my…important stuff is!"

"Naota," said Nina, calmly. She'd apparently come down from her tantrum. "Perhaps you'd best check out those two nodes of power you both sensed. Medical Mechanica may well be on their way here, but, from what I gather, they're a long ways off. Those other whatevers are _right here._ "

"Good idea, Nina." _Brains and beauty, both._

 _But…I think my heart's already taken._ "We'll have to go check them out."

"'We'?" said Haruko, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course we. I'm sure not leaving you here to do God knows what to God knows who. You're a part of this, like it or not. So whistle up your Vespa, an' let's go."

….

Far out in the galactic fringe: the _beons_ had set course for the world where they'd sensed the power. Suddenly, a bright golden flash appeared in their midst, in the empty space between them, and a figure materialized out of it.

It appeared to be a man, a human being, a shade over six feet tall, wearing a red oversuit with a black undersuit beneath it. Overall, though no-one out here, and no-one in this universe would recognize the similarity, just yet, it resembled Ben Sinclair to a remarkable degree, save for the fact that it had two lightning-like highlights running from the front of its hairline to the back. That, plus the fact that it seemed…somehow _better looking_ that was humanly possible. It almost seemed to _glow_ from within, as if all imperfections had been _burned_ away by some Power within. Like a light bulb at full strength.

Curiously enough, the _beons_ seemed to take no notice of the creature, but simply streamed around him…

…almost like he didn't exist.

Chaos watched them flow around him, arms crossed, a bemused expression on his more-than-perfect face.

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: A Revelation

FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return: Chapter 6: A Revelation

…..

 _Continuing a kind of a crossover with some original characters of mine from fictionpress. ("Godrise," if you're interested.) I don't own the FLCL franchise, but by damn, I do own them._

…

Chapter 6: A Revelation

"…thought we'd save you a trip. Sorry if we startled you," said the big man in blue and black. He and a woman in a green hooded caped outfit had materialized out of a golden flash, right in Ninamori's living room. Both Naota and Haruko had drawn their guitars, and Naota had just summoned Canti: _Brother, I need you._ The robot had flowed out of his head, with the red Atomsk symbol glowing brightly in its faceplate and on his forehead. "Told ya," said Haruko, with a smirk. "So now I owe ya. And I _always_ keep my word." _Right now, a little wild and crazy sex might be just the thing I need to…forget some stuff._

 _Amarao…we did have some good times together. I'm…sorry._

Mimi looked like she wanted to bash the pink-haired biker over the head with a baseball bat.

"Who are you?" Naota hadn't put down his guitar, and had mentally instructed Canti to be ready to merge with him at a moment's notice.

"Call me Typhon, and this," he indicated the hooded woman in the green robe next to him, whose hood was up, concealing the upper part of her face. She hadn't spoken a word since their arrival. "Is Mentalla. Or, if you want our 'non-shorthand' names," he pronounced the word with air quotes, "I'm Ben, and this is Lindsey. Not that it matters. We won't be here long enough for any of that to make any real difference."

"You're not here because of Medical Mechanica?"

"I don't even know what that is. But no. We're here because of…well, I'm supposed to be the most powerful telekinetic in the universe, just like Lindsey, here, is supposed to be the most powerful telepath.

"But it turns out there's one stronger than either of us. He calls himself 'Chaos,' and seems to delight in causing as much destruction as he can. If he's followed us here…and he very probably has…

"…the entire planet is in jeopardy."

….

"The entire planet. Great." Naota was beginning to get angry, and for no real reason. Once again, he felt himself losing control of the situation. That had _always_ made him angry.

Haruko was right beside him. How had she gotten there? "Kid," she whispered, "keep it down. We'll…get through this, somehow. I don't know how, but we will. Together." Her words were oddly comforting. He wasn't alone in this fight.

Mimi was on his other side, her hand hooked under his elbow, glaring at Haruko, who moved off, hiding her expression, an expression that mingled a cat-like delight with determination. _I'm not gonna let anybody else down. Not again._

Nina spoke up. They were all still in the living room of Nina's house. "Alright. Let's put our cards on the table. This Chaos you've mentioned…do either of you sense him?"

"No."

"Then we assign him a lower priority. Haruko," she asked calmly. Naota was amazed. Apparently Nina was the most cerebral of them all. Intelligent to the max. He was glad she was there, on their side.

(Until, he guessed, her anger reasserted itself.)

"Haruko, how long until Medical Mechanica gets here?"

"Hard to say. It depends on what's in the way. The Space Patrol may have delayed them by a few hours, at most…"

"You talk like they've already lost."

"They have. They…they're all dead." _Or worse. I only hope Amarao was one of the lucky ones._

"How do you know this?"

"What you call a 'hunch.' I have it to a considerably higher degree than humans do. That's how I found N. O. portals. ESP, precognitive senses, call it what you want. It works out to the same. Never mind _how_ I know; I just know." _Right now I wish I didn't, actually._

"She's right," said Naota. "I can sorta sense the same thing. Those nodes of power—now that I blank out yours," he said, indicating Ben and Lindsey, "now that I blank out yours, I can sense the ones from what I'm assuming is MM. And, yeah, they're stronger than before. And I _don't_ sense anything that might be the Space Patrol. But they could conceivably be so low I couldn't sense them."

"You could, if you'd ever had…any serious contact with them. And let's change the subject." Haruko was clearly disturbed by the notion of the Space Patrol's destruction. Or, perhaps more accurately disturbed by the destruction of…a certain individual. Naota's eyes narrowed. He hadn't thought Haruko would be the sort to worry about someone else.

Or…grieve? Haruko?

"Okay, so MM's on their way here, and we don't know when they'll arrive. And you're original plan," he pointed his guitar at Haruko, "was basically to destroy the entire solar system to get rid of them. I have to say, I've heard of better plans."

"Kid, you don't understand. Yeah, you might conceivably lure MM to some other solar system. But they'll still come _here first_ , drawn by the trail of the Atomsk power. And they'll still do their number on this planet and its people. _Then_ they'll go to whatever solar system you wanna lure 'em to. So that won't help anything.

"No matter what you do, they're still on their way here."

"Then we'll stop them," said Ben. "Lindsey and I will meet them halfway. I don't care how powerful they are, we can blow them out of the sky."

"And if you fail? They'll add your power to their own. I can't really tell—frankly, you're blinding my senses—just exactly _how_ powerful either of you are, but should you fail, for any reason, the entire galaxy goes into their gullet. And maybe more than one galaxy. My way, they'd go into a black hole's gullet." Her expression turned to one of cruel satisfaction. "I'd like to see 'em get out of _that._ Just wish I could see the expression on their faces. Not that they actually _have_ faces, but you know."

"Then," said Nina, "We still meet them halfway. There's bound to be some solar system, or _something_ , between where they are and where we are. We get them there, and you," she gestured to Naota, "do your thing. Shift 'em all into some supermassive black hole."

"Nina, I can't do that! I have a hard enough time getting Canti," he gestured to the silent robot, standing in a corner, seemingly watching the proceedings, "to come here. A whole solar system? Not possible." He turned to Haruko. "Look. The simplest solution: you need Atomsk himself. I know you've been tracking him, for whatever reasons. You should have some good idea where he can be f-*"

"Atomsk is insane."

"*-ound. Then we can…what?"

"I said he's insane!" She hesitated a moment. "Just…just like you'll be, in a few years."

"Say whaaaaaat?"

Haruko closed her eyes in seeming pain. He'd never seen that expression on her face before. It really didn't belong there, and a part of him wanted to wipe it away, somehow. "I…didn't think there was any reason to, to…inflict that knowledge on you when I was here before. You've got the Atomsk power, there's no doubt. And…I don't know the specifics, nobody does…but it tends to drive the person who has it insane. You remember those X-rays we took of your skull? No brain? Where did you think your brain went? Obviously you still have one. I mean, you're still _thinking._ So where is it?"

"I get the uncomfortable feeling you're about to tell me."

"You're brain's in what your scientists call 'N dimensional space.' It basically connects to all universes. Your brain's still connected to you, of course….nothing you can really do about that…but the Atomsk power does more than just pull things through another dimension. It allows the user to _see_ or _sense_ , perhaps is a better word, dimensions, universes, where the laws of space, time, and reality don't make sense to people from this universe. And…after a few years of sensing universes that don't make sense…they…begin to make sense. And that's the beginning of the end." Now she opened her eyes and looked him full in the face. "I give you maybe another ten years. Maybe a couple of years longer. Then…" She trailed off.

Then she turned to a pale Ninamori. "You're not in such danger. Your N. O. portal is too small to do you much damage. You'll probably die of old age before that effect catches up with you."

"Ah," said Naota, angrily, his ready temper coming to the fore again, "and you were gonna share this with me exactly _when?"_

"Exactly _never._ There's nothing you can do about it. Even if you, if you swore off using the power, _it's still there._ You can't escape that."

"And _you_ did this to me, with your damned guitar!"

"It's now _your_ damned guitar, but that's irrelevant. I started the process, it's true, but it would have happened anyway. Probably at the beginning of puberty.

"But that was three years ago. And you say you haven't 'ported anything larger than Canti?"

"No."

"Then…then, I got nuthin.' You should be able to 'port something way larger." She paused, a calculating look on her face. "Maybe…maybe with the right…'ignition'."

"Not sure I like the way you use that word." He turned to Ben and Lindsey. "I can't shift a whole solar system. So it looks like you two are our only hope."

But Ben was looking far off. "He's here," he whispered. "Chaos. He's found us."

…..

"Are you sure?" asked Lindsey. "I don't sense anything."

"I do. You know what he's always said: that he's my future self, what I'll become in a few thousand years. If that's so, then…" He looked positively miserable. By all accounts, he was going to become a monster.

Lindsey touched his elbow, and almost unnoticeable gesture. Of course, Nina noticed it. _{{Do not despair, Ben. Logically speaking, if this change in you was, or is to be, inevitable, then there would have been no reason for Chaos to come back in time in order to engineer it. If our experiences are any guide whatsoever, the future is not graven in stone._

 _{{And even stone can be changed.}}_

 _{{Thank you, Lindsey. I don't know what I'd do without you.}}_ Some of his old fighting spirit returned. "Look," he said aloud to the others, "bottom line: you may not be able to depend upon us to help you with Medical Mechanica. If Chaos shows up here…more than just your planet is at stake. And he _is_ here. I just can't sense exactly where.

"Well," said Naota, "that tears it. I don't have the power to shift a whole solar system, even if I had one to shift."

"You can," Haruko said quietly, "with the right…the right ignition, I guess you'd say. Or maybe 'incentive' would be a better word."

"What 'incentive'?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Never mind for now. But your little girlfriend's plan has some merit. Whatever we do, we have to meet 'em before they get here, if you don't want anything to happen to this world." Both Nina and Mimi shifted uncomfortably at Haruko's use of the word "girlfriend." Mimi managed to look both upset, uncomfortable, embarrassed, and incensed, all at once. And this time, she glared, not only at Haruko, but at Ninamori, as well. Naota, of course, didn't notice.

But Lindsey did. _A triangle. Maybe a quadrangle, even? And, of course, the boy totally doesn't see it. Typical._ She 'pathed Ben. _{{Ben, whatever we do, we mustn't commit too much to a plan that will occupy much of our attention. If Chaos shows up…he'll make this Medical Mechanica seem like a light spring shower._

 _{{And it would be just like him to show up here, on Earth, just as we engage the forces of Medical Mechanica in some far off solar system. You know this to be true.}}_

 _{{You're right, as usual,}}_ he 'pathed her back. _{{But we must do something.}}_

 _{{Perhaps that "something" is being in reserve, in case their plan, whatever it is, fails.}}_

…..

Tokyo: Two girls were whispering about the tall man in red and black, who was currently looking over the city from the top of Shinjuku Park Tower. _Must be an American tourist._ He was casually resting his arms on the railing around the top, gazing over the night lights of the city. Two lightning-shaped white highlights went from both sides of his head to the back. "Bet you five thousand he goes for me."

"You're on."

The two—both very pretty, and dressed provocatively; after all, everyone needs a hobby-made to approach him, when he turned to them. "Hello, ladies. Sure is nice up here, isn't it? The view is terrific." He spoke perfect, flawless Japanese, to their surprise. He ran his eyes over them both, appreciatively. "And I'm not just referring to view of the city, either. But," he turned back to the dazzling cityscape, "Tokyo is truly the most wonderful city on this planet.

"It's really a shame it has to go."

What?

He turned back to them. "I know about your bet. I honestly couldn't say which of you I'd choose. You're both so…beautiful." He moved towards them, taking their hands in his, kissing them lightly. "I'm afraid your bet will just have to go unresolved. Besides, you wouldn't really want me; I'm an evil supervillain monster who intends to destroy this world. Now, I know that sounds a little unbelievable, but I assure you it's true. So you see, you really wouldn't want to get with me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to check out the Great Pyramid before I have to destroy it, too." And with that, he flared, seeming to become a bolt of lightning that shot off into the east.

The two girls simply stood there, stunned. Then one turned to the other. "So…should we, like, report this to someone?"

"Who?"

 _To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7: Battle

FLCL: Fooly Cooly: The Return: Chapter 7: Battle

…

 _I don't own—oh, right, you remember…_

 _Sorry for the length of this chapter, but it obstinately refused to be broken down. Enjoy!_

 _Reviews are appreciated!_

… _._

Chapter 7: Battle

…..

"Like I said, I don't have the Atomsk power. Oh, some of it, but…"

"Kid, have you looked at yourself lately? You're fifteen, right? Five nine, at least, your muscles have muscles, and I bet you've never been sick a day in your life. Don't you think that's a little unusual? Plus, I'll bet you an extra twenty-four hours that you're, uhm…how to put this, particularly, er, _gifted_?" She glanced down at his waist. Actually somewhat below. _"At least_ another twenty-four hours."

" _Let's not go there."_ The other two females in the room looked like they wanted to stone the pink haired space pirate. "Stick to the subject, dammit! Okay, plan: We lure 'em to some desolate solar system or planet, somewhere between where they are and where we are, and, and…I don't know what. Maybe you two could, could do something similar?" He looked, desperately, at Ben and Lindsey. 'Port 'em to a black hole? That wouldn't take too much of your time, would it?"

"It's possible," mused Ben. Lindsey gave him a cautionary look. _Don't commit._

 _{{But, Lindsey…we have to do_ _some_ _thing. We can't sit here and let this Medical Mechanica destroy this world.}}_

 _{{I know, and I'm not saying we should. But we also can't let Chaos do what he did to that last world. You saw what happened there.}}_ Ben shuddered. An entire populated world, seventy billion people… Lindsey saw how it was affecting him. _{{At least it was quick,}}_ she consoled him.

 _{{Not quick enough.}}_

Haruko was talking. "But a desolate planet won't attract them, Kid. There would have to be some intelligent life there in order for us to be assured of their being drawn there."

"Then I'll go. They'll surely be attracted to me, what with this Atomsk power you keep saying I have…"

Haruko was shaking her head. "Bad idea. If they did manage to 'port that planet into a black hole, you'd probably go with it. Yeah, you might be willing to make that sacrifice, but think: time doesn't pass the same way that close to an event horizon, and nobody knows how it passes inside. Medical Mechanica might possibly have time to overwhelm you and get the Atomsk power. Then they could just 'port back, and we'd be worse off than before.

"I guess the good news is, it doesn't take the power of Atomsk to lure them to any one particular point. At this rate, as close as they are, just one intelligent being would be enough, to divert their attention.

"They've become creatures of instinct. They'll go for the closest bait, then a larger, but further away, meal."

"Then I'll go," said Mimi quietly.

" _NO!_ Never in a million years!"

"Tak—I mean, Naota…I'm the best choice. No one will miss me, I'm an intelligent lifeform, which is exactly what they seek, and, and…it won't matter what happens to me."

He went over to her and took her hands in his, pulling her to him. He leaned forward slightly, their foreheads touching. "Yes, it does. I once made a promise to stay with you forever. That's a promise I'm gonna keep.

"Naota-kun, you can't possibly mean that! I, I'm nothing! I'm the reason you have anger issues; I, I _abused_ you when you were a kid! I'm the, the prison girl. I have no family. I'm under psychiatric treatment, for god's sake! Nobody will miss me! Let me go. I'll lure these monsters to wherever you want, and then you can, can send them all to hell."

He embraced her, pulling her in close, resting her head on his shoulder. "It will be hell here," he said, "without you. You left once. No. You are not going. End of argument.

"And you have a family. Right here."

"Then I'll go," said Nina. "It won't take but one…"

"No," said Ben. "You're needed here."

" _Someone_ has to go…"

"It won't be you. I can see—sort of—into your future. Like I said, you're needed here. _I'll_ go."

"You will not," said Lindsey firmly, arms crossed. "You talk about people being needed here…if Chaos shows up, _and you know he will,_ you are _precisely_ who's needed. _I'll_ go. I can teleport back-*"

"No."

"Then I'll go," said a previously silent voice. They all looked around at Nina's father. "I'll be the bait. It's the least I can do for my planet."

" _Father, NO!"_

"Nina," and he took her in his arms, "I'm the logical choice. You know my career is in the toilet. Okay. If I'm going to go out, I'm going out with a bang. This is the biggest bang I can think of. At least…at least people won't remember me as the loser I was." Nina opened her mouth to reply to that…

…and at that very moment, the whole house exploded.

….

Ben and Lindsey automatically threw up TK shields around everybody, and Ben even managed to shield Haruko's beloved Vespa. But the bits and pieces of the house continued to rain down around their suspended bodies.

"Hello, there, son! Fancy meeting you here!" said a hatefully familiar voice. Chaos, glowing with power, hung suspended in the air over the ruined mansion.

"I am so _NOT_ your son!" Ben's own temper boiled over completely, and Typhon charged up to meet his adversary.

The two elemental forces collided with sufficient force to shatter windows for blocks around. Chaos was actually driven back a few yards. "Not bad. Keep it up, kid. You'll get ther-* _Ooof!"_ A TK blast that could have shattered a mountain range propelled him back a full kilometer. "Okay, gotta admit, I didn't see _that_ one coming! But keep this up, and, when you lose, _like every time you have before_ , you're little friends down there will be toast!"

"No, they won't," retorted Lindsey coldly. She'd joined the two combatants in the air. "One thing seems to have escaped your attention: _you're_ alone." _{{Ben!}}_ she 'pathed to him, _{{Get ready!}}_ And she opened a portal into the time-stream.

Ben physically slammed his own body into Chaos', knocking them both into the portal—and away from Earth. "That portal got him at least out as far as Uranus. I don't think even _he_ can destroy this world from _that_ far away." Lindsey turned to stunned crowd on the ground. "I have to go. I can't let Ben go it alone. Be safe until we return." Then she flew into the portal herself, closing it behind her.

Naota and company looked at each other, tiny bits of Nina's house still raining down around them.

Out by the planet Uranus: Ben and Chaos once again collided with a force greater than the entire nuclear arsenal of Earth could have produced. Surrounded by the highly attenuated atmosphere in space, far from the roiling ice clouds, there wasn't much in the way of a shockwave, but just the sheer wave of elemental power was enough to shake the nearby gas giant to its core. Lindsey flew in closer, hoping against hope she was in time.

Chaos had claimed to be Ben's future self, the being he'd become in three thousand years, the being who'd slaughtered his friends and, in fact, destroyed his whole world. Lindsey could sense that these attacks were designed to enrage Ben, to anger him beyond his ability to cope with that anger.

Her self-imposed task was to give him an anchor, keep him reminded of his essential humanity. Otherwise…

…He could very easily become the monster he fought.

So she had to be a reverse-Jiminy Cricket. She had to make sure Pinocchio stayed a real, live boy.

Back on Earth: Naota and the rest had been safely deposited on the ground amongst the remains of what used to be Nina's house. Nina choked back a sob at the thought of all her possessions, utterly destroyed…all the little things she'd accumulated over the years. But, she reminded herself, more importantly than all those things, she still had…

"Hey! Anybody see my Vespa?" Haruko.

"To hell with your Vespa! _Where's my father?"_

…..

At that particular moment, Nina's dad was just passing the orbit of the moon, which, at the time, was on the other side of the Earth. He was glad amateur astronomy had been a hobby of his. In his youth, he'd driven motorbikes, and the Vespa, for all its unique abilities, didn't differentiate too greatly from those he was familiar with.

He hated leaving Eri alone like this, what with her mother declaring she wanted nothing more to do with either of them. But he didn't see that he had any other choice…

From what the strange woman in green had said, the two superbeings were duking it out somewhere in the area of the gas giant Uranus. That was a large area, and, right now, even more inimical to human life, but he only needed to find the planet itself. Surely the alien armada would at least notice the activity out that way, and if the things didn't pick up on his presence there, perhaps they were too blind to see Earth.

But either way, he figured he was still dead.

There…this button, the big square one, red on the bottom, shading to blue towards the top. Blue shift? That had to be the FTL drive, however it worked. Fortunately, the life support system seemed to function automatically. Well, that's how he would've designed it.

Now let's see….just where would Uranus be?

…..

"Call your bike back! Do something! Whistle it back or, or something!"

"I can't! It doesn't have that feature! If it did, I'd've summoned it back when Sameji there, hijacked it."

A desperate Nina turned to Naota. "Naota! Do something! 'Port him back here NOW!"

"Nina, I can't! I don't have any connection to him! And Canti can't travel fast enough to catch up with Haruko's bike! Believe me, I would if I cou-*"

Her slap, powered by her full strength, caught him on the left side of his face, practically knocking him down. "THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!" She turned away, face in her hands, sobbing. Mamimi wrapped first one arm, then another around the suffering girl. Such was her misery, that Nina didn't even notice that it was her rival holding her, trying to comfort her.

Haruko took Naota aside. "Kid, we DO have to do something. Those two MIGHT destroy Medical Mechanica…or, much more likely, they'll destroy each other and leave Medical Mechanica intact."

"I'm open to suggestions."

"Open up Canti, over there." Not fully understanding, he mentally ordered Canti to open his "jaws." Haruko leaped in before him, then virtually dragged him inside. "C'mon, kid, this is likely to smart." And again, the vast light bulb descended, screwing itself into his head. Even though he was ready for it, or thought he was, still, even after all this time, it still _hurt._

"N…now what?" Somehow, Canti seemed bigger on the inside than he remembered…and…cushioned?

"Now hold real still." And Haruko raised her guitar…

….

The _beons-_ the forces of the entity known on Earth as Medical Mechanica-had just reached the outskirts of the solar system when they began registering energy shockwaves of unprecedented power.

They/It briefly considered turning back…but then they/it picked up an energy signature consistent with intelligent life coming from one of the outer gas giants.

Lacking true sentience, such opportunity was not to be denied.

…..

Ben and Lindsey took turns tag-teaming against Chaos. Unfortunately, he seemed to anticipate their every move, and countered them smoothly. "Oh, come on!" he shouted, "Haven't you two already figured out that I _remember_ fighting this exact same fight? OF COURSE I know what you're going to do! I'm not just some plain jane vanilla supervillain! _I'm you!_

"I'm trying to show you what you really are, boy! You're a god! A real god! You just haven't allowed yourself to realize it yet! _Get with the program!_

"When mortals kill other mortals, that's called ' _evil,_ ' and it's _wrong!_

"But when _gods_ kill mortals, that's _natural!_ That's the way it's _supposed_ to be! Where do you think the term 'Acts of God' came from?

"I'm just trying to show you how to _do_ it, that's all!"

 _{{Ben, don't listen to him! He's trying to make it sound like it's inevitable! It's not!}}_

 _{{One thing I know for sure is inevitable: this guy's goin' down! No matter what it takes!}}_

 _As long as it doesn't take your soul,_ thought Lindsey.

Nina's father had arrived at Uranus after only a few minutes of hyperdrive. Fortunately, a similar switch right by the other, blue to red, turned it off.

Uranus, often referred to by Earthly astronomers as an "ice giant," due to the relatively large amount of ice in its atmosphere, does not actually have a solid surface in the same way that Earth does. Rather it has a gradually increasingly-thick atmosphere of poisonous gases that become liquid, then ice, then finally, deep within the planet, a more or less solid core. It has twenty-seven moons, an escape velocity of 21.3 km/s (13.24 m/s), and a declination of -15.175 degrees. All this ran through his head, as he hung suspended, just above the outer layers of the roiling, icy atmosphere. He didn't really care; he wouldn't be here long enough for any of that to make a difference.

He couldn't see any of the ships of Medical Mechanica, but he could see the flares of raw energy from the battle of the three beings. But he figured, from remarks he'd overheard, that Medical Mechanica couldn't be far away. He stood up on the bike, which was hovering over the denser layers of gas and ice that constituted Uranus' atmosphere. "Hey!" he shouted, "over here! Intelligent life form! Come and get me!" He only hoped that either the superbeings or Naota and company had some plan in mind. "Lunch tiiiiiiiiime!"

…..

The _beons_ had just reached the outskirts of the solar system, near Pluto. "Here!" shouted Chaos, "let me show you a trick! Watch closely; you'll like this!" And he turned his own tremendous power on the Pluto-Charon system.

Both bodies were instantly converted into energy, transforming from one form of mass to another. Calling what happened next an "explosion" would have been a vast understatement. "But you can do so much more than just blow stuff up! See! There's some gnats. Watch!" And Chaos directed the full power of the nova-like energy blast directly at the oncoming _beons._

The leading _beons_ quite literally didn't have a prayer. Caught in the onrush of energy, they were vaporized instantly. Those just behind them found their systems hopelessly scrambled beyond anything remotely like recovery or repair. But those furthest to the rear, out of the direct path of the beam, continued their advance. They did not fear death; indeed, "death," for them, was an outmoded concept, left behind when they evolved beyond sentience. They closed ranks and continued to advance. Chaos took no notice; they were beneath his attention. He had a much bigger issue in mind. "Just imagine," he shouted, "what that sort of power could do to _Earth_? What it _will_ do to Earth? Starting, oh, maybe with _this_ Earth? And maybe finishing up on _yours?_ Your friends, your _lover_?

"So come on, boy! Level up here! We've only got three thousand years! Believe me, it goes by a lot faster than you think!"

…..

"It's not working," fretted Haruko. Inside Canti, who was even then rocketing towards the conflict at the outer edge of the solar system, she'd been rocking Naota's throbbing head with her guitar.

"No…no more. 'Bout…to pass…out." He actually managed to smile, however. "Bet…bet this is the most…fun you've had in…three years..."

"This isn't about fun, kid." Haruko moved to one side, there in the near-weightlessness inside the still-accelerating Canti. "We gotta do _some_ thing. Or…" And a surprised look came over her face, "Maybe it _is_ about having fun. Stimulation…I've always assumed it hadda be pain. But maybe… Takkun, do you think you could open a portal of, oh, say a couple of kilometers, maybe a little bigger? And project it at the edge of the solar system?"

"Don't…know. My head's hurting so bad…can barely see straight."

Haruko hesitated. Then, "Well, there _may be_ one other way of opening a portal." She started unbuttoning her red jacket. "Guess there's no time like the present to find out. Just do as I say, and it'll all work out.

"Now, take your clothes off."

"W-wait…what?"

"Your clothes. Get out of 'em." Again that crazy grin. "At the very least, I'll cure your headache."

…

Attracted by the signal of intelligent life on the outer gas giant, the _beons_ zeroed in on the planet. They were less than a thousand miles away from Nina's father…he could see them coming…

"Look! There's a mortal! Watch! This is how you do it!" And, right in front of Ben and Lindsey's horrified eyes, Chaos projected a titanic sickle-shaped blade of pure energy…straight up Uranus' south pole, and exiting at the north. Such was the energy involved that the entire planet blew up like a bomb, the release of energy not only destroying the planet and sending the moons flying, but also destroying the closer _beons._ "I always did wanna stick something up Uranus, anyway!" laughed Chaos.

"You," began Ben, "are _sick._ "

…

Inside Canti: Once again, Haruko was moving against him in _that_ way, but this time, not only were they both naked, he was moving _with_ her, and he was thoroughly enjoying it. He was deep up inside her, up inside _that body_. "Relax, Naota," she whispered. "Just do like I told you, and you'll be fine. Now. Picture the galactic black hole. Just a few inches above it. Picture it in your mind…and now picture what you sense of Medical Mechanica. Doesn't have to be accurate; just position is enough. Bring the two together. Yessss, bring the two together. Just…like…this…." And he found himself, throbbing headache subsiding, moving along with her, moving up inside of her, clumsily at first, but with increasing skill and enthusiasm, into that wonderful body that had been the subject of so many of his guilty fantasies…. "Yesss….that's the way…just like that…"

An N. O. Portal opened a few millimeters above the supermassive black hole that formed the center of the galaxy. Not being a material object, it was unaffected by the fantastic gravity.

The other end of the portal opened up just where Naota sensed the swarm of _beons._ Those same _beons_ had no chance: the gravity 'ported in was measured in _trillions_ of Earth's normal gravity. They were drawn in, "spaghettified," their mass lengthened into thin strands and sucked into the inescapable gravity field. Even those in the rear could not escape.

Of course, they felt no fear. Fear is a product of sentience, and they had none.

Meanwhile, Ben and Lindsey had been unable to keep Chaos from moving into the orbit of Jupiter. "Won't be long, youngling! Soon I'll have Earth in my sights! You saw what happened to that last planet!

"So come on! _Fight me! Damn,_ but you're a slow learner!"

"You were looking in the wrong direction, monster!" And with that, Lindsey struck.

Ever since their last battle, in that other realm, Ben had been surreptitiously feeding her some of his power. Not enough to be noticed, but enough to build up a huge reserve in her, far beyond what she was normally capable of alone. Chaos had underestimated their teamwork; working together, they opened a portal into the time stream, the hypercontinuum, but one with no end point. "Sucker punch, asshole!" And Ben channeled every erg of his last remaining reserves and drove a fist straight up into Chaos' jaw.

The force of the blow sent Chaos reeling, straight into the portal into the time-stream.

…..

Inside Canti: "Wow. That…was great, kid. And that was your first time, for real, I mean? That was-*"

"I…can't believe we just did what we just did."

Haruko laughed, a genuinely satisfied laugh. They were lying side by side, inside Canti, fingers intertwined. Naota thought it odd, that the inside of the robot seemed bigger than the outside. It was very much like _Dr. Who. Well, if it's good enough for Time Lords, I guess it's good enough for me._ "Believe it, kiddo. Told you I had a reward for you that was better than CPR.

"But anyway…we saved the galaxy. The two of us, together. Neither of us could've done it alone." And here she rolled over onto him, pressing her naked body up against his. It was amazing how the anger, the _hate_ , he'd thought he'd felt for her was dissipating…turning into…what? "And I'll let you in on a little secret: you keep swingin' that bat—"and she moved her hand down below his abdomen—"like you just did, and Mamimi won't have any complaints." She whispered into his ear. "Neither will Ninamori."

 _Quick, change the subject._ "Wonder where Tatsuku is? He promised to come to me if I needed him, and I sure did…" It was a lame misdirection, but it was all he had at the moment, especially with her hand _down there_ and her breasts _up here_ and her body everywhere in between _._

Haruko actually giggled. That was another thing he'd though she was incapable of. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in close. "You mean you haven't figured it out? Naota, your brother's _been_ back, for three years now. You just haven't recognized him."

Again, that realization hit him. Things began to connect… _"Canti?_ You can't mean…"

"Ever heard of telepresence? Yeah, he's in America. But he's also linked, electronically, to Canti. Everything Canti sees and hears, _he_ sees and hears."

Suddenly, a lot made sense. The speed with which Tasuku responded to his texts…like he was just _thinking_ the responses. But…"You mean…what we just did, we did _inside my brother?_ That is _at_ _least_ three levels of sick and wrong!"

"Yeah," chortled Haruko, "great, wasn't it?" She turned pensive. "I wonder if he thought to get recordings?"

….

Earthside: Canti landed and disgorged a fully clothed Haruko and Naota. Mimi practically threw herself on Naota. "I thought you were gone for good."

He stroked her hair. She'd allowed it to go back to its natural black, and it felt like silk in his fingers. "Told you I'd stay with you forever."

A bright golden flash in the air over them heralded Ben and Lindsey's return "Okay, people. The good news is, we managed to shove Chaos into a time portal that should take him to a…place beyond the end of time. Surely, even he couldn't come back from that.

"The bad news is, we don't know for sure it'll work. I-*"

"TO HELL WITH YOUR PORTALS! MY FATHER DIED OUT THERE!"

Ben made a soothing gesture with his hands. "Well, yes. But his death doesn't have to be permanent."

"H-huh?

"I….do have some ability to manipulate time. Once the space-time continuum has a chance to settle down, I might, I just might, be able to fold time back and retrieve him before he actually died.

"But," he said to her elated expression, "it won't be right away. Right now, the space-time continuum is in such an uproar, it's affecting the orbits of the outer planets themselves. Lindsey and I had a hard time dampening the gravitational waves so they wouldn't hit the Earth _or_ the sun. I'll have to wait until it settles down."

"How…how long?"

He held up his hands in a helpless gesture. "I don't know for sure. Maybe a year?"

" _A year?"_

"Only an estimate. But even we have our limits."

…

Ben and Lindsey left to return to someplace they called "Olympus," which Ben explained was an artificial moon, circling another Earth, where he and his friends lived. The pair had promised to return in a year, to see about retrieving Nina's father. Ben seemed to think it wouldn't be very difficult. "I've done it before, lots of times," he'd said. "It won't be any problem." Nina had broken down at that, all her grief and tension taking its toll on her. Both Naota and Mimi had comforted her as best as they could.

 _{{Uh, Ben? You've actually only done it once.}}_

 _{{So? It worked, didn't it?}}_

Ben had turned his face up towards the heavens. "I can't sense Chaos anywhere. If we're lucky, that last portal sent him to a place where even he couldn't survive. We can hope."

"What about Medical Mechanica?" asked Haruko. She was sitting over on a windowsill, a fragment of a wall left standing, plucking at her guitar. "Do you sense anything of them?"

"No. I think you and Naota got them all."

But Haruko's expression didn't lighten. "We got all the ones _that were here._ But Medical Mechanica is…still very much there. And its origin point is very far away. It could easily send another armada, anytime."

"They've lost one fleet. That should give them pause, wouldn't you think?"

"That's the problem: they _don't_ think. Not like we do, at least. So we have no way of telling what they'll do."

"We'll stay in touch. If they _do_ show up, perhaps Lindsey and I can give them a more permanent surprise." And with that, he'd opened a portal into a swirling nothingness / everythingness that dazzled them for a moment, and the two of them made their exit.

…..

Later, Naota found himself reflecting about what a good thing it was that Shigekuni had all those inflatable mattresses in the attic. Good foresight.

His room was getting a little crowded. Mimi was still in the lower bunk, and he noticed she now normally slept on her right side…as though to keep watch over the rest of the room.

Nina had, _quite deliberately_ , he thought, placed her own mattress between him and Haruko's. And Haruko, he noticed, normally slept on her _left_ side…as though to keep an eye on _him_. "After all," she'd said, with that pretend innocence he'd come to recognize as such, "without my Vespa, I'm basically stranded here." But whether her watchfulness was protective or predatory, he hadn't decided. Probably the latter.

Though, somehow, he really couldn't bring himself to fear the consequences of an attack.

"I'll make sure to get your Vespa when I retrieve Ninamori's father," Ben had said. He hadn't heard, or pretended he hadn't heard, her whisper to Naota, "Besides, I still owe you forty-six hours. At _least._ " Both Mimi and Nina hadn't stopped glaring at the space pirate.

But Mimi had taken him aside; she had a special request. "Uh, Naota-kun? Could...could I ask a favor?"

"Of course." When could she _not_ ask a favor?-he wondered.

"Do...do you have an extra jersey I could wear? One of your own, I mean?" She'd been wearing Tatsuku's old jersey to sleep in, being extra careful to keep it clean. She even ironed it. "I think it's time I...put some things behind me." She looked up suddenly. "I'll pay you for it..."

He put his arms around her. "Of course I do. And you don't need to pay me for it. You wearing it is more than enough." Yes, perhaps it _was_ time to put some things behind her.

And...to move on with life.

Canti had installed himself in a broom closet on the first floor. Knowing it was his brother, essentially, Naota had, at first, had doubts about that idea, but he had to admit, they needed the room. And Canti's robotic body didn't really require such amenities as a bathroom or bed.

And Naota had to admit, when he got used to the idea, that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of his brother's metallic self in the same room as his three female guests and himself…

But before he'd left, the robot had turned and surveyed the now-crowded room, his TV-like face dwelling, for a moment, on Mimi and her new jersey. Then he turned to Naota, and imaged a "thumbs up" emoticon on his display-face.

Later that night, texting: _Hey, bro. You comfortable down there?_

 _Yeah. I'm sorta not really here, you know, but I sorta am. It's complicated. Someday you'll understand._

 _Did you see what…went on inside Canti?_ He used the name Mimi had assigned to the robot-that-was-more-than-a-robot, so many years ago, automatically. It both was and wasn't Canti. Or not _just_ Canti.

 _Who, me? Would I peek at a thing like that?_

 _Yeah._

 _Oh. Well, what can I say. Busted. Yeah. Waytago, lil bro. She's fantastic, isn't she?_

 _Still not too sure how I feel about her._

 _You hated her because of the changes she wrought in you, that you weren't ready for. But I think what you really felt was passion. And passion can work both ways._

 _OK Mr Expert._

 _Only sayin,' bro._

 _I don't know what I'm gonna do with all these girls in my room._

 _Want a suggestion?_

 _Youve got SUCH a dirty mind_

 _Yeah and Denise loves it. Your guests might appreciate my suggestions a lot_

 _Can it big bro. You know I love Mimi._ Everyone in the room, aside from himself, was either asleep, or, in Haruko's case, pretending to be asleep.

 _Of course you do. You also love Nina. And, if you're honest with yourself, you also have a thing for Haruko. And you love them all in different ways._

 _Okay okay aready. But…_ He really didn't know what to text after that.

 _You don't gotta rush it. There's plenty of time._

 _Maybe not_

 _What do you mean?_

 _You didn't hear? Haruko said the Atomsk Effect drives a person insane_

There was a pause. Then, _You sure?_

 _She is._

 _How long?_

 _She thought maybe ten years_

Another pause. Then, _Shit_

 _My feelings exactly_

 _She may be wrong lil bro She's been wrong before_

 _I…don't think she is. I already see things inmy dreams that both make sense and don't make sense at the same time_

 _Can you quit using the power?_

 _Wouldn't help the Power's still in me_

Another pause, this one longer than before. Naota wondered why. Would the next message come from his brother in the US, or from his brother down in the broom closet?

Or…maybe it didn't really make that much difference anymore. With that close a connection, who could say where one left off and the other began?

Then, _Don't give up lil bro. I have some…contacts, let's just say. And you said those two would return in a year to retrieve Nina's father-*_

 _And Haruko's bike. She's still bitching_

 _*-and Haruko's bike. Who knows? They may be able to do something. But even if they can't…ten years is a long time. It can be a long, satisfying time, if you work it right_

 _I guess, you look right at it, time—however much of it we've got-is really all any of us have_

 _Yeah, with MM and that Chaos guy gone. Now we got time. At least…_ And for a moment, he stopped texting, a little unwilling to type in, _for a while._ Naota sighed, then resumed texting. _Time to…find out some things._ He glanced over at Haruko's mattress. She'd positioned it right by the door to the bathroom…he couldn't tell if her eyes were completely closed or not. _What am I gonna do?_ he thought.

Texting: _I don't see Haruko as hanging around very long, in any one place. And, I don't really think Nina wants to be more than a friend right now. That's good._ He glanced down, over the edge of his bunk, at the sleeping form of Mimi. She was beginning to twist slightly, in her sleep. Not again, he thought. Would the nightmares ever end?

But her whole life had been a nightmare, a nightmare that had driven her into a kind of insanity when she was younger, living in a video game, and believing that Canti was a god. The horror of her home life, that had driven her to that, he thought, you just don't get over in a day, in spite of all the medication and psychotherapy in the world.

Mimi began twisting even more. _Gotta go, bro. Love ya._

 _Love ya too lil bro. Go to her._

Mimi was, by now, twisting more violently than before, her legs moving, trying to run. "No, _no!_ Please! I haven't…!"

He got into bed beside her, as he had many times before, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. "Mimi, it's alright. The nightmare's over. You're safe. You're here, with me, and you're _safe_." He repeated that, and her eyes opened, seeing him there. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest, her tears drying up, her face relaxing. He stroked her hair. It seemed to frame her face, a face that had grown in beauty during her time away. "Your nightmare's over with, Mimi. You're with me, now. I won't let anything or anybody hurt you, ever again." _And perhaps someday, the nightmares will stop._ Eventually, she relaxed further, drifting off into peaceful slumber, there in his arms. _I just hope it's before those ten years are up._

Since his back was to her, he couldn't see the approving smile on Haruko's supposedly-sleeping face. _She needs you, kid. She will need you._

 _And perhaps you need to be needed. Who knows? Given the right incentive, perhaps that ten years will be twelve. Or fifteen. Or twenty…_

 _There's more than one way to save the world, and more than one world to save._

The End.

Epilogue: In the hypercontinuum, the corridors of time, that strange state of existence between all realities, two figures hurtled towards an alternate Earth, one they'd come to call home. _{{Ben?}}_ 'pathed Lindsey. _{{I've a question.}}_

 _{{Shoot.}}_ Ben was looking forward to getting home, to Tori. He missed her terribly, in spite of…

 _{{Something's been bothering me. Our last battle with Chaos…did you notice anything odd about it?}}_

 _{{You mean, other than the fact that we blew up a sizable portion of that Earth's solar system? That was odd enough for me.}}_

 _{{But did you notice that, in at least two cases, Chaos actually seemed to_ _assist_ _us in fighting that Medical Mechanica? Perhaps weakening the armada so that Naota's attack would be all the more effective?_

 _{{In fact, he did more damage to them than we did, since we were focusing on him._

 _{{Even Nina's father. If Medical Mechanica had caught him, and drained his mind, he would, essentially, still be alive in the main group mind, back where the swarm originated. And the exclusionary principle would have prevented you from retrieving him. He couldn't be in two places at once without it causing a paradox.}}_

He stopped dead still, right there in the hypercontinuum, universes, realities, and what-may-have-beens flying past him. _{{You're right. That's true. It's almost like Chaos was working_ _for_ _us, rather than_ _against_ _us, for once. But…why? Why should he do us any favors? This would be the first world that's caught his attention that he_ _hasn't_ _destroyed.}}_

 _{{Could Chaos have had an agenda for that world? A plan? One that required the removal of Medical Mechanica?}}_

 _{{Hm. You're right. Maybe he did. I can't imagine what it would be, though. With his power, he could have just wiped the entire armada out of existence, the way he very nearly did us. I mean, why play cosmic shatterball with them?}}_

She reached over and took his hand. _{{Ben, keep in mind, Chaos' whole purpose, in all he's doing, is to turn_ _you_ _into_ _him_ _. Don't ever forget that.}}_

He squeezed the grip of his best friend. _{{I won't. I_ _can't_ _. But it's no longer an issue; Chaos is gone, for good this time. Even_ _he_ _couldn't come back from the end of time itself.}}_

She squeezed his hand back. _{{I only hope so.}}_

Homeward bound, they flew.

Epilogue 2: Naota's Earth, geosync orbit above Mabase: Completely undetectable, a figure in red and black floated just outside Earth's atmosphere. With senses humans would never understand, the Destroyer of Worlds saw Naota, saw Mamimi, Nina, and Haruko. He saw the texts Naota had sent to his brother / "brother." He even saw the thoughts going through their minds. He saw it all.

He floated there, in orbit above Mabase, feet together, arms crossed, a pleased expression on his face. Everything had gone perfectly, just like he remembered it, from so long ago. "Get some sleep, Naota Nandaba. You've got a lot more than ten years ahead of you, so you'll need it. We've a lot of work ahead of us, and I've big plans for you." The figure smiled, but not in a reassuring way. "Big plans indeed.

"There's more than one way to destroy the world, and more than one world to destroy."


End file.
